Hunter: The Witch
by Lunarwolf11021
Summary: Jasmine Potter receives a message that starts her onto a path that no one could have predicted. The Evans family was hiding a secret that not even Lily knew and Jasmine is about to find out what it is. It will only be a matter of time before she discovers the true secrets of the Evans blood line and what exactly it means to be a Hunter. Fem! Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**Dislcaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

The moment kept replying in Jasmine's mind every time she shut her eyes. Sirius pushing her out of the way when a spell she hadn't even notice was shot towards her. Tripping a bit as she swung around only to see Sirius attempting to keep his feet not even an inch from the fluttery curtain of the veil. Jasmine could only watch as a spell slammed into his chest and sent him falling into the veil. The smile that had been on Sirius' face sliding off it slowly as he realized what had happened and then, he was gone. Jasmine covered her mouth as a sob tore its way out of her throat and she curled in on herself. The shudder that ran through her as the memory swirled through her mind and clawing at her heart. She closed her eyes while struggling to keep herself from screaming and sobbing.

Hedwig hooted from the cage in the corner as Jasmine lay on her rickety bed. It was only when she heard a low call from the window that Jasmine managed to focus on something other than the soul searing grief racking through her body. Slowly, Jasmine managed to force herself into a sitting position and turned towards the window. To her surprise, a dark shape peered at her from the window with bright golden eyes. Jasmine held out a hand and the dark shape jumped into the air revealing it's huge wing span. It landed on her outstretched arm and Jasmine was surprised to find that it didn't weigh much more than her pillow did. She was surprised when it dropped a thick parcel onto her lap before taking off towards the window where it settled down.

Carefully, Jasmine opened the parcel and found a letter inside along with a few pamphlets. A rather odd looking rune covered pyramid sat inside. It gave off an inner glow that made her eyes ache. Picking out the letter, Jasmine set the parcel down and grabbed her trusty flash light. Even if it was over four years old, it still worked just like it had back when she got it during a small trip into the mundane world. She opened the letter and began to read what it said:

 _Dear Ms. Potter,_

 _My name is Zane Mulnic headmaster of High Alter magical academy on Drago island._ _It has recently come to the attention of my facility that you're a magical of the Evans family who is due to turn sixteen in a matter of weeks. As a result, I have decided to offer you a place among my students. You probably wouldn't have heard of us as our school is very selective of who our students are and the fact that the UK magical community disliked us. Due to this, I am willing to send a representative to your residents or another place of your choosing in order to answer any questions you have. I have sent along some pamphlets and a rather curious magical object that will allow you to get an understanding of the school until you're able to meet our representative. Until you've met the representative, I ask that you do not make any decisions in regards to my offer. Please write your reply and give it to the messenger, Avira._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Zane Mulnic._

Jasmine stared at the letter for a few moments as multiple emotions ran through her. Shock was the most prominent which, after feeling only grief and anger for the last few weeks, caused her a bit of relief. Confusion as to why they would send her a message like this along with the whole sixteen and being an Evans thing. Leaning back against the wall, Jasmine could only ask herself, "What am I going to do?"

The offer was tempting in the same way that being a witch was. She wanted, no needed, to get away from England. She needed to get away from the bad memories it caused her. She needed to get away from the bullshit the wizarding world was piling on top of her. She needed to get away from Dumbledore and figure out her own path rather than what he seemed to think was good for her. Jasmine needed to get away from the memories of Sirius and grieve properly rather than just stew in this stupid house where her relatives hated her. It would be an escape away from Voldemort, the Ministry, and so many other things.

The other school would give Jasmine a lot of opportunities that she couldn't get in England. She wouldn't be compared to her parents almost constantly. It would allow her time to figure out how to deal with Voldemort without worrying about him finding her. Jasmine might actually be able to completely start over and perhaps gain some new friends along the way. Jasmine knew that she'd focused a bit too much on Hermione and Ron, but she wouldn't make the same mistake this time.

Jasmine shook her head and reminded herself that she didn't even know anything about this school yet. She needed to reply to that letter and study the pamphlets. She also needed to figure out what to do about the meeting. She couldn't meet with any representative in the house due to her relatives and the watchers Dumbledore has set up. She couldn't use the Leaky Cauldron either as Dumbledore would probably look there first.

After thinking about it for awhile, Jasmine decided to see if the goblins would mind her using one of their meeting rooms. They would charge her, but it would be worth it. Besides, she could get their help in finding a good place to stay for the rest of the summer where Dumbledore wouldn't find her. Even if she didn't go to High Alter, she wouldn't be staying at the Dursley's any longer. She could probably use the rest of the summer to find another school in a far away country as well. With that in mind, Jasmine got up from her bed and walked over to the desk. Grabbing one of the pens she kept, she wrote down her reply on a spare piece of parchment before handing it off to the messenger. It took off with a low cry and disappeared into the night. Glancing at Hedwig, Jasmine frowned at the locks on her cage. Perhaps, it was time to get her lock picking skills back up to snuff.

* * *

Zane Mulnic stared out of his office window with a frown on his face. He ran a tired hand through his curly grey streaked blue hair as his tawny eyes looked to the sky. A smile appeared on his youthful face and he opened the window allowing the shadowy falcon to sweep into the room. Landing on the back of a chair that sat in front of the great red wood desk, the falcon turned it's fierce golden eyes onto to Zane. With a low chuckle, Zane took the rolled up parchment from the falcon and watched as it took off. It shimmered and expanded until a dark skinned man with whiskey colored eyes stood in front of Zane. The man stood taller than Zane, but most like the man always did. He wore only a pair of simple dark brown pants and a light brown vest. Moving around to his leather office chair, Zane asked, "What did you see, Avira?"

"She is far too small even when you consider how tall the female Evans clan members usually turn out," Avira rumbled darkly as he sat down, "She is far too skinny to be healthy and she is grieving without any help,"

"Her magic?" Zane asked him curiously.

Avira lost his perpetual scowl and smiled a light as he spoke, "It flows freely like the wind and feels like a warm caress. The smell of it reminded me of the mountains and the jungle where I spent much of my childhood."

"Do I detect a hint of longing?" Zane teased earning a scowl from Avira.

Avira grunted softly and leaned back against the chair, "Zane."

Zane rolled his eyes before saying, "I am glad that they didn't manage to ruin her magic. I'm still pissed at them for doing it to Lily," Avira scowled at the reminder and Zane shook his head with a mournful sigh, "Regardless, I suppose we need to see what she said."

Zane opened the letter as Avira leaned forward slightly. Zane read aloud:

 _Dear Headmaster of High Arch,_

 _I am very interested in what you have to offer and would like to meet this representative of yours. As my residence is unsuitable for a meeting like this, I have decided to contact the goblins. I will send a message once I secure a meeting room and a date._

 _Until then,_

 _Jasmine_ Potter.

Zane grinned brightly, "Smart girl! I'll have to send a message to the clans and ensure they know what's going on. Even if she declines our offer, she will need to meet them."

"Do you think she will?" Avira asked as his usual scowl deepened a little.

"I believe that Ms. Potter will be full of surprises," Zane answered making Avira's eyes narrow.

Zane knew that the man disliked it when he gave answers like that, but didn't really care at the moment. Avira grunted lightly, "Will you require me to deliver the message and wait for a reply?"

"Only deliver the message," Zane replied while grabbing some writing supplies.

He wrote a short letter as Avira returned to being a falcon. Handing it to man turned falcon, Zane stood to watch him go off. As he stood in front of the window and watching the sky once more, Zane could only grin. Ms. Potter would be quite an interesting student and he couldn't wait to see the chaos she would cause. The time she spent here would be most interesting for all involved.

* * *

Two days after she sent her reply to the headmaster of High Arch, Jasmine found herself eagerly waiting for Vernon to fall asleep. She had already picked the lock on Hedwig's cage and sent a letter to the goblins last night. In reply, they sent her a letter containing the date and time she could meet with the representative High Arch was supposed to send. They also sent the name of an inn that she could stay at for a reasonable price and wouldn't give her away to Dumbledore. Jasmine checked her pocket's once more in a fit of nervousness.

Hedwig's cage was in her pocket and Jasmine felt her heart ache a little as she felt it. Sirius had helped her enchant it in order to make carrying it around easier and offer Hedwig more comfort when the owl used it. Pushing away the reminder, Jasmine felt for her lock picks and sighed softly. The twins had been quite insistent that she learn how to pick locks after they rescued her in second year. The memory still made her smile fondly and laugh softly...

 _"Listen up Jazz," Fred pulled her into the twins room with a grin._

 _"We want to give you some help," George said from his seat on one of the bed._

 _"Those relatives of yours are quite fond of locks," Fred continued as he dragged her over to the other bed and sat down while pulling her with him._

 _"That shouldn't be where they are," George pulled out a small bundle and unfolded it revealing some odd looking things._

 _"So, my dear brother and I," Fred grinned at her as he waved a hand towards George, "Have decided,"_

 _"After much thought and consideration of your rather troublesome," George smirked at her._

 _"And horrid relatives, you will be learning a time honored," Fred reached out and George handed him some of the odd looking tools._

 _"And very cherished activity that can be used for almost anything," George handed her a few tools as well._

 _Jasmine looked at the odd tools and noted that they looked kind of like those lock picks she'd seen Dudley with, "Okay?"_

 _"You'll be learning the fine art of Lock-picking," The two chorused and Jasmine looked at them in surprise._

Jasmine shook her head lightly and focused on listening to Vernon. The twins would be some of the few that Jasmine was going to trust with her plans, but only once she had decided what to do. Upon hearing Vernon begin to snore, Jasmine took out her lock picks after making sure her wand was in it's holster. Funny enough, the walrus that was Vernon didn't pay any attention to it as he'd assumed her wand was inside her trunk. Inwardly laughing, Jasmine focused on picking the rather numerous locks on the door.

As soon as it opened, Jasmine began what she hoped would be her last trip through the house.

* * *

Two hours after she'd left her former residence, Jasmine was finally flopping onto the bed inside the room she'd booked for a few days. The inn she was staying in was at the far end of Knockturn Alley where no one would expect her to be. Jasmine ran a hand through her shoulder length messy black hair as she sighed in relief. It had been difficult getting past the order members that Dumbledore had watching the house, but she'd managed by using the first floor bathroom window and her invisibility cloak. After that, it was a simple matter of getting to the next neighborhood and summoning the night bus. She was glad that she'd had Hedwig head to Hermione for awhile as the bushy haired girl would look after her.

Jasmine decided to get some sleep before writing the Headmaster of High Arch and sending it off through the post office. Before she could manage that, Jasmine heard something tapping against the glass window. Sitting up, Jasmine looked and found a similar bird to the one she'd received last time. Opening the window, she let it in and took the letter from it. She opened it up:

 _Dear Ms. Potter,_

 _I hadn't thought to inform you that owls would take a very long time to reach the facility unless warded correctly. Please give the appointment date to Lore and he'll make sure it's gets to me._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Zane Mulnic._

Jasmine was reminded of Luna for some odd reason before shaking it off. Grabbing her trunk, Jasmine opened it up and pulled out supplies before writing down her reply. With that done, she handed it off to the shadowy messenger and watched the bird take off. Closing up her trunk, Jasmine laid down on the bed and decided to get some sleep once more.

* * *

In the three days before her meeting at Gringotts, Jasmine read through the pamphlets and had to admit that the school appealed to her in a way that even Hogwarts hadn't. It offered a lot more classes, a long list of clubs, and multiple activities that Hogwarts didn't. The pyramid had been odd, but showed her images of the school and offered some rather interesting history. She learned that the island of Drago was in the middle of the Atlantic ocean and boasted all types of environments all year round due to specific wards covering good portions of the island. She also learned that High Arch shared the island with the Hunters of Windseeker though she didn't really understand the term. Jasmine found one of the most appealing parts about High Arch was no longer having to listen to her country of origin. Considering how the ministry was, Jasmine wasn't going to risk them getting control over her. They'd probably try to marry her off once Voldemort was dead.

The day after she went through everything High Arch sent along, Jasmine got books on the subjects that interested her from a few second hand book stores. Some of the books were dark according to the shop owner, but Jasmine didn't really care as the classes sounded interesting. She did pick up a few things from other second hand stores. They were mostly obscure books on elemental magic, some books on occlumency, and an obscenely comfortable fur-lined leather jacket. Once she returned to the Prancing Veela, the inn keeper mentioned some people coming by looking for her making Jasmine pale slightly. He assured Jasmine that they hadn't gotten any information from him, but suggested that she stay inside tomorrow.

The next day was spent reading through her new books while keeping away from the windows. Jasmine knew that Dumbledore would be looking for her, but hadn't thought he'd find the inn anytime soon. The inn keeper delivered food up and informed her that a few more people had come by looking for her, but had left soon after. Jasmine would need to talk with the goblins about this.

* * *

An hour after noon, Jasmine found herself breathing a sigh of relief as her goblin escort left her in the rather plain looking meeting room. Jasmine sank down into one of the cushy chairs and checked the battered watch she'd nicked from Dudley a few days before. She managed to arrive five minutes before the meeting began and hoped that the High Arch representative arrived soon. Dumbledore had the ally crawling with his people looking for her and Jasmine had barely managed to make it to the bank without being seen. Jasmine would have used her cloak, but she knew that the goblins would likely find it offensive. Considering the fact that they were letting Jasmine use one of their meeting rooms for non-bank related business, she didn't want to offend them for any reason.

Jasmine's wish came true moment later when the door swung open and a presence filled the air. It didn't feel threatening at all, but warm like sinking into a nice bubble bath. It certainly felt dark, but not evil which caused Jasmine to relax. She watched as a cloaked figure strolled into the room with seemingly lazy, yet powerful strides. The first thing she noticed was the black cloak they wore and the symbol etched it the breast of it. The symbol was of a wolf-like creature with a pen and a sword crossed over it's head while a book sat between its paws. The second thing she noticed was how the cloaked figure seemed to be taller than the regular human though not as tall as Hagrid. Jasmine put them at six almost seven feet tall. The door closed behind the figure as they reached the table and Jasmine asked, "You are the High Arch representative?"

"Yes," The cloaked figure's voice was like a rumble of thunder with a silky edge to it, "Do you mind if I activate the goblin privacy wards? High Arch doesn't need the world to know any of the information we will speak about,"

Jasmine was startled by the question, but nodded, "Of course, I wasn't aware that High Arch was so big on secrecy considering how many beings you have going to the school."

The cloaked figure, that she was beginning to think was male, let out a soft chuckle as he reached towards the center of the table. For the first time since she'd entered the room, Jasmine noticed the pale brown stone sunk into the warm wood of the table. The cloaked figure pressed their fingers to the stone and a wave of magic exploded outward. Once it had vanished, the cloaked figure told her, "High Arch has many secrets that no government or country knows about. Our students learn how to keep our secrets quickly and efficiently through the use of Occlumency. Our students are also required to sign a secrecy contract for the duration of their time in the school. It will protect High Arch's secrets until such a time as you're able to," They reached up and grabbed the hood of the cloak, "Now, I will introduce myself and hopefully we can get everything settled quickly," With a twist of their hand, the cloak vanished in a puff of smoke revealing the form hidden underneath, "My name is Gabriel Lykos."

Gabriel Lykos had dark eyes that seemed to have an inner purple glow. He had silvery russet colored hair that fell to his shoulders in a silky wave. He had pale mocha colored skin. On his left cheek, a pair of ragged claw marks ran from right next to his nose to just below one slightly pointed ear. He wore a dark grey almost black dress shirt that was missing two of it's top buttons. On each ear, he wore what looked like a diamond dragon that curled around the outside and gripped his ear with it's wings as it's claws clutched a piece of obsidian. He smiled revealing a pair of pearly white fangs prompting Jasmine to whisper, "You're a vampire."

"Correct," He smirked slightly, "Is that a problem?"

The shock wore off quickly and Jasmine forced herself to stay calm. If Lykos was going to hurt her, he already would have. Besides, the school wouldn't send someone to meet with Jasmine if they wanted to kill her. Not to mention, she'd be going to school with vampires if the pamphlets told the truth. With that in mind, Jasmine shook her head, "No, I've never really met any vampires before. My adoptive uncle of sorts is a werewolf."

Lykos nodded lightly before saying, "I suppose it would be best to begin as we do not need the goblins getting pissy. What are your questions?"

Jasmine immediatly reached into her pocket to pull out the folded up list she'd made over the last few days. Looking over her questions, Jasmine asked, "What exactly do the classes for elemental magic, creature magic, and blood-magic entail."

"Those interest you?" Lykos asked with a raised eyebrow as he finally sat down.

"Alongside rune magic, mind magic, and weapon creation, but the last three are somewhat self-explanatory," Jasmine said earning a soft laugh causing her to snap, "Is something funny?"

She paled slightly and covered her mouth as Lykos let out a roar of laughter. When he finally stopped laughing, Lykos said, "You will fit in well among both the clan and our students though I suggest tempering that fire of your as most will not tolerate disrespect," Jasmine swallowed softly and nodded, "As for why I laughed, it's just odd that someone from this country is actually interested in those. For all that they profess their capabilities, the English have forgotten what those magics can really do simply because they decided they were dark."

"What exactly are they?" Jasmine filed away his reaction for later.

"Elemental magic is just as it says," Lykos explained after a few moments, "Magic of the elements. It is one of the more interesting classes though the teacher is a bit much. Creature magic is a rather interesting magic as it deals with the inherent power of both magical and mundane creatures. The class is one of the hardest, but most fulfilling. If you can succeed, you will not only be able to understand the creatures you meet with, but also use portions of the magic available only to them. If one studies hard enough, they could in-turn become one with the spirit of the creatures closest to them and use their forms. Of course, it takes a lot of skill and time to even do that once," Lykos smiled slightly as he lifted up his hand and claws extended from his nails as his hand shimmered briefly before turning into a black paw, "I teach the upper levels of that class," Jasmine quickly filed that information away for later, "Blood magic is one of the more painful and deadly magics available at the school. However, it is one of the more fulfilling ones. It involves cutting runes into your skin and filling them with magic in order to bind them to you," Jasmine paled slightly, "The power you gain from this is rewarding and the arrays are hidden unless in use. Once you're finished the ritual, the cuts you made will heal, so you won't be at risk to die of bloodloss,"

"Sounds painful," Jasmine swallowed slightly as she ran over the description of the class in her mind.

What it would give her would be worth the pain, it wasn't like she was unfamiliar with pain though this time it would be inflicted by her. A frown edged itself onto her face. Jasmine would need every advantage she could get over Voldemort and this was one way to do that. He had over fifty years on her and everyone in the country would be looking towards her to defeat him. A large part of Jasmine just wanted to slink off and never come back. The rest of her protested that idea. The friends she had here would be in danger and Jasmine wasn't willing to lose anyone else without doing her best to stop it. If she did blood magic, it would be to improve both her chances of survival and that of the people she cared for. Jasmine stopped that thought and mentally snickered. She could already hear Hermione scolding her about not getting all the information about High Arch before deciding to go there.

Lykos cleared his throat and Jasmine blushed slightly. She really needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts or it would kill her one day. Lykos leaned back against his chair while dismissing the black paw and claws, "Any other questions?"

"What does being a student there entail?" Jasmine moved onto the next question, "What are the requirements and the like?"

"High Arch requires all of our students to take one weapons class, one non-magical defense class, one hand-to-hand class, and one healing class. As the school is open to all sentient beings, the teachers will not interfere if fighting occurs even if a student dies as a result," Jasmine grimaced slightly though given the various species attending there was bound to be a lot of trouble, "The students are responsible to come forward if they're in trouble, but it is advised to attempt to solve their problems first. The teachers only wish for the students to become the best which also means that they need to look after themselves. The students are responsible to ensure that they look after their own needs as the teachers will not get involved unless necessary," Jasmine could work with that, "You'll be required to take a few tests during your first week there in order to find which classes you have the aptitude to take. It will also allow us to see just what you're physically capable of as well as help us ensure that you're healthy enough for the classes," It made sense since classes like Blood magic could kill you, "All students are required to go through a thorough medical exam by the healers to ensure your health. If problems are found, we will do our best to help you," Jasmine grimaced at the thought though she knew something like this was inevitable and they might be able to help with her eyesight, "Other than that, you are expected to obey the rules both written and unwritten. They will be explained to you by the upper year student assigned as your mentor,"

"Mentor?" Jasmine blinked slightly, "Why?"

"Your mentor will help you settle in during your first year or so," Lykos patiently explained with a slight smile, "They will help you balance your schedule for the first six months. After that, they will step back and watch you for the next six. This is to ensure that you don't accidentally kill yourself, we've had quite a few students die in their first year a century ago because they couldn't look after themselves correctly," Lykos shook his head, "What a waste,"

Jasmine nodded as she commented, "Aside from the mentoring aspect, it seems like a Darwinian society."

"An apt description and one of the more polite ones," Lykos replied while eyeing her, "Any more questions?"

"What exactly is Windseeker?" Jasmine felt a shiver go down her spine at the name.

Lykos smirked darkly, "One of the reasons Zane contacted you is because of them. On the western side of the island, you'll find a city known as Windseeker. It is known for it's Hunter clans and filled to the brim with things from all over. You," He pointed at Jasmine, "Are a member of a Hunter clan that resides there. Of course, the branch you belong to was considered extinct as many of those born to it were damaged in one way or another to the point that they couldn't be called Hunters. You're the first to be born here with those abilities intact in nearly a century."

"What is a hunter exactly?" Why did it feel like he didn't mean the guys that killed deer?

Lykos rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'Idiotic mortal Englishmen and their stupid laws'. He turned away from her and reached into the cloak revealing a satchel that she hadn't noticed before. He pulled a book out of it and handed it to her, "This is have a more in depth explanation as Hunters are very complex beings, you'll find few outside of the Hunter clans able to explain it well," Jasmine took the book from him while looking over the blank cover with a frown on her face, "Hunters are being much like vampires, werewolves, Veela, and the like that have abilities that exceed those of regular mortals. They far outclass regular witches and wizards with the amount of power they have inside of them simply by being hunters. They are born and bred to fight. While some may find their abilities leaning more towards the academic or healing side of things, they will always be natural born fighters."

"And how do you know that I belong to one of those clans?" Jasmine asked as her frown and confusion deepened while feeling pleased for some odd reason, "Evans is a common name after all,"

"True, but you can tell by the eyes," Lykos' smirk grew into crooked grin, "All magicals of the Evans line have green eyes. The Hunters of that line have jewel tones," Lykos leaned back in his seat, "Let's focus on your abilities, you've always been faster than the those around you? You're a natural at finding hiding places whenever you need to? You've outclasses your fellow students when you do the practical parts of any lesson?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he practically purred, "You're a natural flyer?"

Jasmine's eyes widen and she couldn't stop herself from gaping at him. No matter what, she'd always outpaced her classmates in primary school when it came to running. No one had been able to find her when she had places to hid save for the few times when she'd been horribly exhausted. While she sometimes had trouble with book work due to how boring it was, she'd always been able to cast whatever spell she was working on once she understood it. Whenever she was in the air, it felt like she belonged there and no one that she flew with had ever been able to keep up when she went all out. Jasmine breathed out sharply, "How did you-"

"Hunters are like that," Lykos sat up and peered at her, "You have a choice to make. Will you go to High Arch or not?"

Jasmine wanted to go to High Arch and meet these Hunters. Before she gave him her answer, Jasmine needed to know, "What does my sixteenth birthday have to do with anything?"

Lykos let out a soft chuckle which made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. He looked at her with a smirk on his face and said, "If you are not on Drago and meet with the Hunters by your sixteenth birthday, you will die."

"What?!" Jasmine burst out, "How?!"

"Hunters have wings which come in on their sixteenth birthday," He informed her with a tone coated in dark amusement, "You need to take a potion to ease the process while a group of elder Hunters watch over you. If you don't, you'll die from either the pain it creates or your wings coming in wrong. The potion will ensure that you won't die from the pain or your wings coming in wrong. The elder Hunters will ensure they come in correctly. While it is minor, the blood loss is also a problem,"

Jasmine stared at him while attempting to understand what had just come out of his mouth. Hunters had wings and she would apparently be gaining them on her birthday. If she didn't have help, they would kill her. Wings were going to kill her. She could almost hear the Daily profit now: Chosen One dies due to wings. Jasmine set the book down and groaned softly, "Why can't my life not be full of bullshit?"

Lykos chuckled softly, "Life is better this way. Normal things are boring."

Jasmine didn't comment as she ran a hand through her messy black hair. She wanted to go to High Arch and would have to meet with the Hunter clans. She could do that besides being a Hunter would help her kill Voldemort. Maybe she could kill Bellatrix too while she was at it alongside the Malfoy Sr. and the rest of Voldemort's band of Death Eaters. With a low sigh, Jasmine informed him, "I'll take up the offer to go to High Arch."

"Excellent," Lykos reached into his bag to pull out a pen and paper.

He wrote down a quick message before pulling out a stamp. He folded the paper a few times before pressing the stamp against it. With a muffled pop and a burst of smoke, the message disappeared and Lykos put his utensils away. Jasmine picked the book back up and asked, "What now?"

"Now," Lykos grinned at her, "We leave this room and go speak to the tellers about what's going to happen from now on. After that, we'll get the supplies you need alongside a few things I believe will be helpful. From there, we'll be traveling to a place where you'll be staying until Zane can get you a visit with the Clans. I will be returning to school once I get you settled,"

Jasmine nodded before informing him, "Dumbledore and the people working for him are looking for me. The moment we leave the bank, they'll most likely see me."

"Which is why you'll be wearing this," Lykos pulled out a pearly white bracelet covered in runes, "It will conceal everything about you. Keep this in your pocket until we leave, I really don't want the goblins to get pissy. They'll paint their pretty marble floor with your blood if you wear that in here,"

Jasmine stared at him for a few moments while wondering if he's a bit insane. Given what Remus said about vampires, it is likely he was. Shaking her head, Jasmine took the bracelet and put it in her pocket. Lykos stood up from the table and pulled back on his cloak as Jasmine asked, "Why are you wearing that?"

"The cloak keeps idiotic wizards with a penchant for being bigoted from seeing me," Lykos answered with a low chuckled, "They would freak if they saw a vampire walking around the bank," He gave her a fanged grin, "Now, let's get started. I'd like to be done and back at High Arch by tomorrow evening at the least,"

 **Please tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Jasmine learned a few things while at Gringotts with Lykos. The first thing she learned was that Lykos was both feared and respected by the goblins for reasons that he wouldn't say. The second thing he learned was that the goblins actually respected her for going to High Arch and knew exactly how much she would need from her vaults. The third thing was that she had multiple vaults rather than the trust vault she'd been using and her family vault. Apparently, Sirius had named her heir to the Black family and now that he was dead, she was head of the family. The last thing she'd learned was that the goblins absolutely loved Hunters and would look forward to seeing her once she'd gotten her wings.

Lykos had actually chuckled when she'd asked him why as they were leaving the bank. He had simply informed her that she would find out why at a later point in time. Jasmine didn't get anymore chances to ask questions as Lykos had immediatly whisked her off to get things in Diagon once she had put on the bracelet. The whole trip was a blur save for when she saw Dumbledore rushing towards the bank with a few order members. After they picked up the supplies Lykos could find in Diagon, Lykos had her head to the inn that she'd been staying in to grab her things while he went to go get something from a nearby shop. Jasmine was sure that she'd heard him mutter that, 'Damn English magicals and their lack of good supplies.'

Somehow, Jasmine didn't feel like arguing with him. It didn't surprise her as Jasmine didn't exactly feel loyal to her country of origin. The mundanes in her country hadn't helped her when the Dursleys abused her. The magicals had only tried to use her and thrown her away the moment she exhibited some magic they didn't like. The fact that Dumbledore had attempted to manipulate her at multiple points helped to cement it. The thing that had completely shattered any loyalty to the country was Sirius' death. It could have been prevented if the Ministry had both freed him and believed her when Voldemort was reborn, but they hadn't.

Jasmine shook her head lightly to force away those thoughts and finished getting her things in order. Once that was done, Jasmine headed downstairs and offered the inn keeper a light smile, "Thank you for your help, Sir."

"It was no trouble, Ms. Potter," The inn keeper returned her smile revealing a set of fangs, "I hope you come again,"

"I will," Jasmine left rather quickly after that.

As she walked towards the shop that Lykos had gone into, Jasmine wondered how many vampires there were in England. She decided to ask Lykos when she had the chance. When Jasmine reached the shop, Lykos stepped out with a slight frown on his face. Jasmine was about to ask if there was a problem when he spotted her and said, "Come, we need to leave quickly before Dumbledore decides to involve the ministry."

Lykos started walking towards the entrance of the alley and Jasmine asked, "How are we getting out of England?"

Lykos turned his head to smirk at her as he raised his hood, "The fun way."

* * *

Three hours and a lost lunch later, Jasmine learned that his 'fun' way involved two illegal portkeys and using what Lykos called 'Shadow-traveling'. Jasmine found that she didn't mind shadow-traveling since it was far less disorientating as portkey. The only complaint Jasmine had was that it felt terribly cold and made her head hurt. Shadow-traveling was basically walking into a shadow and coming out in another. The trip wasn't very long and apparently, vampires used it to travel to diffrent countries. Jasmine pushed away those thoughts as Lykos handed her a water-bottle. She took a sip from it as he waved a hand around them, "Welcome to the Athens, Greece. We will be getting the rest of your supplies in this magical district before setting you up in a hotel for three-four days."

"Alright," Jasmine took another sip from the bottle and asked, "Do all vampires use shadow-travel?"

"Only the ones that are five hundred years or older," Lykos replied as he started walking.

Jasmine followed after him while asking, "How old are you?"

Lykos stopped walking and turned to her with a dark smirk that caused a shiver of fear to run down her spine. Jasmine froze as he reached out to grab her chin and felt as if she was in the presence of a powerful predator that chose her as his prey. Lykos leaned forward as if he was about to kiss her and Jasmine could smell something sweet on his breath. Lykos took a deep breath and spoke softly, "First lesson about vampires, you do not ask their age if they're older than one hundred years. It is insulting and you will get killed for it unless the vampire finds you amusing, is that clear?"

Jasmine swallowed softly and whispered, "Yes, sir."

He let go of her chin and began walking again, "Come."

She followed after him while attempting to calm her racing heart. The magicals around them seemed to be ignoring what had just happened. It was a bit unsettling and Jasmine wondered how many times they'd seen something like that for them to not care. Jasmine forced herself to relax and asked, "What is a good question to ask instead?"

Lykos chuckled softly, "You're an inquisitive thing, aren't you?"

Jasmine took a deep breath as she shrugged and moved further to walk next to him, "I've never met any vampires before."

Save for the inn keeper, Jasmine mentally corrected herself. Lykos inclined his head and said, "You can ask a lot of questions, but certain ones are taboo for various reasons."

"Why are your ages taboo?" Jasmine knew she shouldn't push it, but was too curious to stop herself.

Lykos was silent for a while as they continued to walk and Jasmine wondered if she'd pushed it too far. Jasmine threw glances towards him for a few moments before she began to pay attention to their surroundings. The city was beautiful and Jasmine decided that she'd learn Greek if it meant being able to live her at some point. Lykos finally spoke as they entered a clothing shop, "Vampires of the same age and breed are very competitive. Age is taboo due to how many vampires have killed one another in order to get their blood as the older the vampire, the more powerful the blood."

Jasmine winced slightly and decided to never become a vampire even if it was offered, "Alright."

Lykos pointed towards the clothes, "Pick out clothes that will last you awhile and are durable. The clans will outfit you for classes when school comes around."

* * *

By the time Lykos was satisfied with what they'd picked up, the sky was dark and the shops were closing. Lykos took her to a hotel and got her set up in a room before departing. Jasmine laid down on the comfortable hotel bed and closed her eyes. The thoughts that Jasmine had managed to ignore during the days leading to her meeting with Lykos crashed into her mind. Jasmine groaned softly and rolled onto her back with a sigh.

Hedwig would've been at Hermione's by now which was something she'd done in the past when her relatives were at their worst. Hermione is probably pissed at her since Dumbledore would have contacted her by now. It wouldn't surprise Jasmine if the bushy haired brunette sent an angry letter to her at some point. While Jasmine knew that Hermione would take care of Hedwig no matter what, she was well aware that the raven of the lions den would be out for blood the next time they saw one another. Jasmine would have a lot of explaining to do when that happened.

Jasmine didn't even know when she would see Hermione again. She was sure that High Arch would take a lot of her time. Not to mention, she would have to deal with the Hunters as well. Damn, she really needed to read that book Lykos gave her. Deciding to do that tomorrow, Jasmine returned to her thoughts. Jasmine would be far too busy for awhile and she didn't even know if she'd be allowed to travel back to England before break. Seeing as High Arch only had a month for summer and winter break with a two week break between the two, Jasmine would be hard pressed to figure out a timeline for that.

Letting out a harsh breath, Jasmine turned her thoughts to more important things. Voldemort would no doubt find out about her missing status soon enough since Dumbledore wouldn't be able to keep it quiet for long. Jasmine fully intended to deal with him, but only after she'd spent some time at High Arch and with the Hunters. Jasmine would need to deal with Dumbledore as well. She wouldn't let him manipulate her any longer and this was the first of many steps to get away from him. She admired what he'd done in the past, but she couldn't stand how he'd handled everything concerning her. After everything was said and done, Jasmine might learn to forgive him, but that won't be any time soon.

Jasmine frowned slightly as she opened her eyes. Once it was discovered that she was no longer in the country, the ministry backed by Dumbledore and Voldemort would look for her outside of their boarders. It meant that Jasmine needed to either change her name or pick up an alias to hide under until she was ready to return to England. Even after that, it would be a good fall back plan. Jasmine would need to do it anyway if she really wanted a fresh start at High Arch. She would need to speak to the Headmaster and the Hunters about this. The question was, what name should she go by?

* * *

A week later found Jasmine sitting at a cafe in Athens reading a book on magicals creatures. The first two days Jasmine had been in Athens were spent reading the book on Hunters and looking for ways to learn Greek. On the third day, Jasmine walked into the lobby of her hotel and asked the front desk clerk where she might find a way to learn Greek. He'd pointed her in the direction of a travel plaza that sold language potions that would give the imbiber the ability to understand the language. Of course, you had to listen, speak, and read the language in order for the potion to fully work, but it was worth it. The rest of the week was sent working on her Greek and exploring the area around her. Jasmine found herself picking up a few books to give Hermione the next time she saw her as a apology.

Aside from that Jasmine had also spent her time working on her alias, she realized that she needed more than a new name to go by. Jasmine had spent time searching for potions to change her hair color and eye color. She also looked for permanent charms to use on her hair. Since Petunia had spent so much time dictating how Jasmine wore her hair, she took a trip to one of the wizarding hair-cut places. There, she had her hair lengthened to just below her shoulders and layered. The stylist she'd used suggested that Jasmine add either purple or crimson to her hair which would go well with her eyes. Due to her wish to move away from her parents, Jasmine chose neon purple. She also had her ears pierced since she'd always wanted to, but was never able to.

It was as Jasmine was taking a sip of her smoothie that she heard, "It seems like you spent your week very well."

Tensing up, Jasmine grabbed her wand while turned slightly to see who had spoken to her. When she saw that it was Lykos, Jasmine dropped her wand and asked, "Aren't vampires supposed to be wary of the sun?"

"Certain ones, but the oldest of us aren't bothered regardless of species," Lykos walked around to drop into the seat across from her, "I take it you took the Greek language potion?"

"I couldn't just sit around in my hotel room doing nothing for a week like some spoiled little pureblood brat," Jasmine eyed him while reaching for her smoothie, "Am I going to meet the Hunters soon?"

"Once you finish that smoothie, we'll grab your things and head to Drago," Lykos replied while eyeing the book she'd picked up, "That's one of Ashfire's isn't it? The second in the series he wrote?"

Jasmine nodded while feeling a bit surprised, "Yes."

Lykos nodded with a satisfied look on his face, "You picked a good book. Ashfire is one of the best creature experts out there. He comes to the school every few years to speak. He is an alumni as well and one of my best students."

"You taught him?" Jasmine asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lykos inclined his head while leaning back against his chair, "He was a student about thirty years ago. I believe he was turned by a lycan about fourteen years ago."

"He's a werewolf?" Jasmine asked curiously before she returned to finishing her smoothie.

Lykos snorted softly, "Above no, lycans are a far older and much stronger breed than werewolves. Werewolves are descended from a Lycan that got rabies at some point that was mutated by magic," Lykos shook his head lightly, "Werewolves now a-days aren't as bad as their forefather save for a few cases like that Fenrir Greyback in your country of origin. It happened so long ago that werewolves and lycans are almost completely seperate breeds."

Jasmine finished off her smoothie and stood up. Lykos followed as she tossed away the smoothie cup and grabbed her book. Together, they headed back to Jasmine's hotel and Jasmine asked, "Is there anyway I can take on an alias while at High Arch?"

"I assume this is to prevent undesirables back in the UK from finding you as well as allowing you to start from scratch at High Arch?" Lykos asked earning a nod from Jasmine, "You'll find that many students at High Arch do the same though for diffrent reasons. It's become expected that some potential students will ask that and we allow it. Of course," He glanced at her as they reached her hotel and headed inside, "Hunters are given a name upon gaining their wings. It is something their fellows call them by on missions or simply just because,"

"That reminds me," Jasmine said as they entered the elevator and began their ascent to the fourth floor, "What exactly are these missions? The book isn't very clear on it,"

Lykos shook his head lightly, "The Hunters will explain it to you."

Jasmine was tempted to protest, but decided to wait. She would get her questions answered soon enough. Turning to another question that had been bugging her, Jasmine asked him, "What are the ages that the school usually takes? It wasn't mentioned at all."

"Students usually begin at the age of fifteen though Hunters and a few others start at sixteen," Lykos explained as they got off the elevator and walked towards her room, "We accept anyone under the age of twenty-five which is the graduating age. If you're ready before then, you can take the graduation exams. If you graduate and still wish to use the schools facilities to learn more, you can, but you'll be under very strict rules. If you deviate from them, you'll find yourself either in a lot of pain or dead depending on which rule you broke,"

Jasmine internally winced at that, but somewhat understood that. Jasmine opened her door and began packing up her things as Lykos dropped onto the sole chair in the room. Jasmine asked him, "Why twenty-five?"

"That's the age where your core is finished growing for most magical beings," Lykos patiently explained as she finished packing up the few items she'd taken out, "What name have you chosen?"

Jasmine picked up her enchanted book bag which held everything that she'd recently purchased and her trunk. Turning to Lykos, Jasmine smiled slightly and said, "Ariadne Dagny."

Lykos looked at her with a smirk, "A good name. Now, we should really get going. You have quite a few people that wish to meet you,"

* * *

After leaving her hotel in Athens, Lykos shadow-traveled them to a forest of ancient trees that towered over their heads. Lykos spoke after allow Jasmine to look around them, "Welcome to Aether's forest, it surroundings Windseeker and has for over three thousand years since it's creator made it."

"Someone made this?" Jasmine jerked around to look at him.

Lykos nodded as he began to walk forcing Jasmine to do the same, "Yes. Aether's forest was named that in honor of the Hunter who gave her life to ensure Windseeker would never be caught by enemies traveling through the forest that existed before this one."

"So people can sense us?" Jasmine asked while looking around the trees with wide eyes.

Lykos chuckled softly, "Yes. It's quite a difficult job that requires a lot of focus. You'll rarely meet any of the sensors unless it's a festival, something goes wrong, or they take on a student."

Lykos placed his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes with a slightly content look on his face. Jasmine wondered briefly if he knew the Hunter that had created the forest. She was tempted to ask him, but didn't know if that would piss him off. Instead, Jasmine asked, "How close are you to the Hunters?"

"Fairly," Lykos didn't bother opening his eyes, "I'm good friends with their leader and have a place on the advisory council should she need it,"

Jasmine frowned at the not-answer, but didn't let it bother her. Instead, Jasmine asked, "What is she like?"

Lykos was silent for a few minutes prompting Jasmine to notice the look of contemplation on his face. Jasmine took the chance to observe their surroundings more closely. The forest seemed to glow in the sunlight that managed to break through the canopy. As they passed by a huge tree trunk, Jasmine saw the huge claw mark of some type of beast scarring the bark. Not far from the claw marks, Jasmine spotted some broken arrows and scattered pieces of metal embedded into the ground. It was like some sort of battle had been raged here against a monstrous beast. Lykos broke Jasmine from her slightly troubled thoughts as he said, "Brigid is a kind and fair leader that is very forgiving. She is very strong willed and loves her people. If it came down to it, she would give her life if it meant they survived," Jasmine turned to look at him and saw the soft smile on his face, "Brigid can also be an harsh and unforgiving leader should you deserve her ire. She will execute those that betray the Hunters for no good reason," He smirked slightly, "She also has a mean right hook and a fiery temper that I pity anyone that manages to invoke it."

"What's her name?" Jasmine asked him as she noticed even more signs of fighting.

"Her name among Hunters is Phoenix," Lykos replied while seemingly ignoring the slightly war-torn area around them, "Partially because of her wings and partially because her animagus form is a phoenix,"

Jasmine nodded before asking, "Why does this place look like a war-zone?"

"Because it is," Lykos scowled slightly and cut Jasmine off before she could ask anymore questions, "Save it for the Hunters,"

Lykos started walking faster and Jasmine had to focus on keeping up with him rather than ask the many questions that were swirling around inside her head.

* * *

Jasmine's first view of Windseeker was it's great wall over which a towering city rose up and the scent of the sea swept into the forest around her. The wall was made of bluish white stone marred only by the gate and the many window-type areas on the walls. The gate was closed as they approached and a shout echoed above them. Jasmine didn't recognize the language, but didn't have time to think about that as a man seemed to melt through the doors. The man was almost as tall as Lykos with heavily tanned skin and wavy blonde hair. He wore a dark almost black shirt of some-type that glinted in the light leading Jasmine to believe it contained metal. He wore a pair of pants made of the same type of material. On his leather belt, he carried what looked like a deadly mix between a khopesh and a paramerion. Around his neck, he wore a black band of some type that held a softly glowing green crystal at the hollow of his neck. He had a bow and quiver of arrows on his back. He looked at the two with wary sapphire blue eyes.

Lykos spoke before the man could say a word, "Commander Rikos, I am Gabriel Lykos. Lady Brigid likely warned you that I would be coming with a hunter."

"The one from the English dogs?" Commander Rikos looked at her with a raised eyebrow and snorted softly, "An Evans. The clan elders will not be happy,"

Lykos chuckled softly, "I'm aware, but we really need to get going."

"One moment," Commander Rikos turned to the wall and shouted something up.

Jasmine really wished she understood the language as shouts echoed around. The gate gained a dark brownish green glow before the immense wooden doors began to swing open. Lykos leaned down and whispered, "Welcome to Windseeker, the home of the Hunter clans."

* * *

Windseeker was built along the side of an immense mountain and in some cases, inside of the mountain. The Den, Windseeker's immense keep, was carved from the mountain which held a majority of the keep inside of it. The area around the gate was surrounded by the barracks for the people guarding both the wall and the gate. Past that, Windseeker boasted large fields filled with crops and immense orchards alongside some greenhouses. Past that, Jasmine and Lykos were directed into an open air carriage that allowed Jasmine to see everything as they passed through the city. Jasmine noticed that the carriage wasn't pulled by horses, but some type of reptilian beast that looked like a wing-less dragon only smaller with no horns.

The city was filled with life and people with wings that flew around above. Children played in the streets and parks that they passed. The city was made of dark grey stone and similarly colored wood. The only real splashes of color were the bright roof tops, the wings of the people, and the clothing that they wore. Jasmine felt something inside of her relax that she hadn't even known existed before. It was like the longer Jasmine was in the city, the more relaxed she became. It felt almost like how Jasmine felt when she first entered Hogwarts' halls only far better. She truly felt as if she was home.

* * *

As the carriage passed through a larger square, Jasmine caught sight of a large statue sitting in the middle of the square. Two winged figures stood proudly together with their wings and hands extended outward. On their backs, a pair of bows and quivers sat. A sheathed sword sat on their hips. The figures were of a man and a woman both smiling softly. Jasmine turned to Lykos and asked, "Who are they?"

"Lord Killian and his consort Lady Diana," Lykos looked at the statue with a vaguely amused look, "They were the ones to bring all the Hunter clans together in order to fight their great enemy. Lady Brigid is their eldest descendant alive while her niece is the youngest," He looked at Jasmine with a smirk, "I believe that you're descended from them as well meaning that Lady Brigid is your cousin, distant though the relation might be,"

Jasmine's eyes widen and she forgot to breath for a few moments. Jasmine didn't have good luck with family. They always either ended up dying before their time or hating her in some way. She swallowed slightly and hoped that this would be diffrent, "I-interesting."

"Are you alright?" Lykos asked her with a frown.

Jasmine felt a little sick as the carriage began to head up a slightly steep path that lead to the Den. Closing her eyes, Jasmine found herself admitting, "My relatives haven't been the best."

Lykos spoke after a few moments of silence, "Brigid will look out for you no matter what. She has very little family as it is and will do what she can to make you comfortable."

Jasmine opened her eyes and looked at Lykos for a few moments before looking back up at the keep. She dearly hoped that he was right.

* * *

The carriage brought them into a large court yard type setting that was buzzing with activity. People of all shapes, sizes, and wing colors rushed around. Jasmine could only watch with slightly wide eyes as Lykos pulled her from the carriage. He chuckled softly as an argument erupted between two mocha skinned and purple winged men that quickly turned violent. Jasmine turned to him and waved towards the fighting duo, "You're enjoying this?"

"Hunters always end up fighting with one another for one reason or another," Lykos explained with a look of dark amusement on his face, "As a vampire, I'm attracted to such things as violence is a popular past time among vampires though my breed is especially violent when we feel inclined to it,"

"Which is why we're glad you don't normally feel inclined to be violent here, Gabe," An amused feminine voice sounded from the side, "You should continue saving it for your vampiric students as they are far more durable than most other beings," Jasmine turned towards the source and almost immediatly thought that the woman was a fox in human form, "And this must be the runt Zane was speaking about,"

Jasmine eyed the golden eyed and purple haired woman with wary eyes. She had a dark, almost black tan. She wore a light grey shirt of some type that looked like a tunic-t-shirt hybrid. On her waist, she wore a crimson colored sash decorated with paw prints. Slung low on her hips, a pair of black lounge-style pants sat above a pair of black heels that made Jasmine wonder if they counted as a weapon. On her left cheek, the woman had a silvery pink paw print. Lykos spoke with a low chuckle, "Yes, but you need to remember, Kaze, I only keep the damage down because you Hunters amuse me."

"Ass," The woman shook her head before offering Jasmine a light smile, "My names Kaze Locks,"

Jasmine found herself returning that smile and murmured, "Jasmine Potter."

"A pleasure to meet you, Runt," Kaze said earning a scowl from Jasmine making the purple haired woman laugh softly, "Let's get going, Snowy's dealing with the elders alongside Zane and I highly doubt their patience will last long with those old fucks,"

Lykos rolled his eyes, "Of course."

* * *

Jasmine kept an eye the her surroundings as they walked into the Den. The entrance area was large spanned at least a Quidditch field in length with a large hole on the roof letting in warm sunlight and a hole in the floor just under that. People and a whole slew of creatures that Jasmine had never seen before flew in and out of the holes. Some landed on the floor and other's went straight into the other hole without pausing. Kaze noticed her look and said, "That's Angel's Assent, it's the main highway around the keep. You can get practically anywhere in the keep from there though I suggest leaving that alone until you've had your wings for a few months. It's a long, long, _long_ way down if you fall."

Jasmine shivered slightly at Kaze's tone and made not to stay far away from those two areas. From the massive entrance area, they moved into a sunlit hallway filled with portraits, murals, and statues of all types. Jasmine noticed that the murals were mainly of men and women with wings fighting against beasts of some kind that caused dread to build up in her stomach. The statues were of men and women with wings in various positions. Some wore robes, some wore armor, and a few even wore nothing at all making Jasmine flush slightly earning a chuckle for her two guides. Lykos spoke as they passed under a banner depicting two dragons fighting one another, "This is the Dragon hall, you can get to any meeting room if you walk along here."

"How many meeting rooms are there?" Jasmine asked him curiously.

"Ten though only four are really used unless all of them are damaged in someway or are in dire need of a cleaning," Lykos chuckled softly, "You'd be surprised how often any of them need to be repaired or cleaned,"

Kaze spoke as they drew close to a rather wooden door stained dark red, "Just so you know, Hunters tend to be a bit violent when we're in a big group and stuck in a room all together. It leads to fights as our instincts demand us to figure out a pecking order and kick the asses of those that piss us off," Lykos snorted softly earning an eye roll from Kaze, "Regardless of what our animal forms turn out to be, we can be compared to wolves when in situations like that. Any group larger than ten always ends up fighting with one another."

"Unless your Brigid and have an absurd amount of control over your instincts," Lykos added making Kaze giggle.

"That's why she's our leader," Kaze glanced at Jasmine and noticed the slightly pale look on her face, "You probably won't have that hard of a time keeping your instincts in check since you weren't raised like us. In fact, you'll probably be like Snowy,"

"Snowy?" Jasmine asked as they reached the dark red door.

The door had a large sun carved into it with a large winged-cat of some type holding the sun with it's wings. Kaze grinned at her, "That's what I call Brigid when not doing important Hunter business," She pressed her hand to the door and a light glow covered the door, "Ready to face the music?"

Jasmine nodded silently and the door swung soundlessly inward allowing the sounds of the room to stream out. Shouts echoed through the room as they stepped inside, a group of old men and women were arguing with one another. Along the sides of the room, men and women stood with all manner of weapons against the wall. They watched the group of arguing, what Jasmine assumed, Elders with annoyance. A few glanced towards the doors and perked up before speaking to the ones around them. Soon enough, Jasmine felt the eyes of those around the walls peering at her. She shifted uncomfortable before glancing towards the back of the room. On a large dais, a large stone and fur covered chair sat atop of it like a throne. A woman with black almost blue hair sat on the throne and stared down at the group of arguing elders with annoyed ruby red eyes. She had light caramel colored skin and wore a dark blue dress. The thing that took her attention was the large serpentine form laying behind the woman's chair.

The being was clearly a dragon of some type, but not any that she recognized. It lacked wings and was far more snake-like in body than anything she'd seen before. It had whisker-like protrusions on either side of it's mouth and a small rack of horns on it's head much like a buck. It's scales were a soft, almost white pastel blue color. It's eyes were a deep, almost black red color that seemed to match the woman in the throne-like chair. It peered at Jasmine with those dark eyes for a few moments before raising it's head to settle on the woman's shoulder. The woman reached up to brush her fingers along it's eye ridges before speaking in a voice that seemed to echo through the air and made everyone pay attention to her, "Your argument's are to be put on hold. Our guest has arrived."

The silence that followed was thick with tension as every head in the room turned towards the door. Eyes the color of jewels focused on her like laser beams and Jasmine felt her breath catch. Somehow, she had a feeling none of these people wanted her to be here. Lykos set a hand on her shoulder and called out, "Honored Elders, Lady Brigid, I am pleased to present Jasmine Potter."

Immediately after he said that, the shouting of the Elders began once more and Jasmine's head started to ache.

* * *

By the time Brigid had calmed the Elders down, Jasmine began to wonder if dying wouldn't be so bad, it would mean she'd never have to deal with these people. Brigid spoke with a slight frown on her face, "Each of you have given your opinion on the matter, but you seem to be forgetting something. Jasmine Potter is one of us through her mother. She is as much a Hunter as you or I."

"My lady," An Elderly man with snow white hair and obsidian eyes spoke in a slightly squeaky voice that reminded Jasmine of Pettigrew, "Be that as it may, she has no knowledge of our people or any of our training. She'll likely die when her wings come in regardless of any help we can provide,"

Jasmine immediatly disliked him and decided to avoid the man at all cost. Anyone that reminded her of Pettigrew was not worth knowing. A female Elder with bright sapphire blue eyes and pale skin spoke up next, "As much as I hate to agree with Elder Pete, the child is likely to be killed early as she was raised as an English dog."

Jasmine wanted to say something, but had a feeling that would only lead to more disdain towards her. Brigid inclined her head, "Elder Frost, I am aware of this, but need I remind you of your own parentage. Wasn't your mother English?"

The Elder's cheeks turned slightly pink and she said, "Yes, but-"

"She proved to be a good Hunter regardless of her origins," Brigid smiled softly at the Elder, "She was a made Hunter. Just imagine what Jasmine could do as a born Hunter, I can only see good things coming from this," She turned her attention to room, "Elders, she survived the killing curse which is more than anyone can say. Her mother likely had a hand in it, but I am not about to let this chance go. Jasmine Potter will be staying and that is my decision. If you have any problems with that, you may talk to my assistant to request a meeting where we will talk. Now, I have a new Hunter to speak to, so please leave,"

The Elders began to leave after a few moments of staring at Brigid. Quite a few glared at her, but some looked at Jasmine in interest. A chuckle sounded from above them prompting Jasmine to look up. Above the room, a group of walkways and balconies sat above the room. A man jumped down from the balcony that sat just above the door and exclaimed, "That was very well done, my friend. They'll be debating about the meeting for weeks!"

"Zane," Brigid smile slightly with an amused look on her face as the serpentine dragon moved to lay it's head on the back of her chair, "I'm glad you find amusement in my people's squabbling. You're almost as bad as Gabriel,"

Lykos spoke up from his place beside Jasmine, "I highly doubt he's as bad as I am. He's fairly close which is astonishing for a half-blood, but not close."

"Oh hush," The man that Jasmine believed was Zane Mulnic waved his hand at Lykos before turning to Jasmine, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Potter. If those two weren't clear, my name is Zane Mulnic,"

Jasmine smiled hesitantly at the man, "It is nice to meet you as well."

The man was so unlike Dumbledore that it through her off. Brigid spoke from her seat, "Come here and let me meet my cousin."

Lykos pushed her forward almost sending Jasmine stumbling. Turning to glare at him for a few moments, Jasmine walked towards the seat. Brigid looked at her with a soft smile that was filled with so much warmth that Jasmine was surprised it didn't melt her face. Jasmine swallowed as she stopped before the seat, "Uh, H-"

Jasmine suddenly found breathing an issue as something wrapped around her in a crushing hold. It was worse than the times Hagrid forgot his strength when he hugged her. As suddenly as she was grabbed, Jasmine found herself stumbling backward and falling to the ground as the crushing grip vanished. Lykos let out a roar of laughter, "Forgot your strength, Snow Princess?"

"Shut the hell up, Gabe," Brigid growled at him before looking at Jasmine with a sheepish expression on her face, "Sorry about that, I'm just so excited to meet another member of my family,"

Jasmine took a deep breath as Zane chuckled softly from next to her as the man bent down. With a click of his fingers, a warm golden glow emanated from his hand and washed over Jasmine in a wave of warmth that seemed to sink into her very soul. Without really noticing it, Jasmine's eyes closed as the warmth ran through her body. When the warmth faded, Jasmine was surprised to find the constant pain she'd dealt with since the basilisk bit her had faded alongside the dull pain that radiated from all her old injuries. Zane spoke as Jasmine slowly opened her eyes, "You'll be spending time with the healers both here and at High Arch."

Jasmine looked at him and saw the anger on his face making her instinctively flinch away from him. Brigid spoke softly from her kneeling position on Jasmine's other side, "Damage?"

"A healed basilisk bite on her right arm," Zane answered earning a scowl, "And quite a few old injuries. They're healed for the most part, but it would be best for the healers to take a good look at them. It's likely that she'll need potions for a few months,"

"I'll ensure our healers take care of her," Brigid shook her head lightly before looking at Jasmine, "Let's get you settled in one of the guest rooms, it'll be your room until your wings come in,"

* * *

The guest room Jasmine found herself in was spacious, yet simple. She had a large king sized bed, a coffee table, a desk, a few chairs, and a wardrobe for her clothes. A fire place sat on one wall and a window on the other. She had a balcony just outside of a glass door that had a table and a few chairs. It gave her an amazing view of the sea that almost immediatly drew Jasmine outside to stare at the crystalline blue water. A door opened up to reveal a nice bathroom that had a bath tube, a large shower, a toilet, and a two sinks. It already held plenty of towels, washcloths, and everything else Jasmine would require. Jasmine moved out onto the balcony after putting her stuff away and almost flinched as someone spoke behind her, "The guest rooms here are somewhat like the rooms we give students."

Jasmine turned her head and stared at Lykos, "What are you doing in here?"

"Zane wanted me to make sure you headed to the Infirmary," Lykos answered with a slight shrug, "He apparently thinks you might attempt to avoid it,"

"I may dislike infirmaries and the like, but I really don't want to get on anyone's nerves," Jasmine looked back outside as she muttered under her breath, "Not that my being here hasn't already done that for me,"

"The council of Elders is full of prickly old men and women past their prime that enjoy badgering everyone," Lykos walked over to her, "They hate it when Hunter's like you pop up since it always causes a stir. The fact you're related to Brigid, distant though the relation might be, makes them angry as it means she'll be less likely to pay their advice any mind than usual,"

Jasmine shook her head lightly, "They sound big headed."

"Most of them are," Lykos smirked before gesturing to the door, "Come, the healers are waiting,"

"Joy," Jasmine had a feeling that these people would be worse than Madam Pomfrey, "Quick question, what is a 'made' Hunter?"

Lykos chuckled as they left her room and began walking through the large corridors, "Made Hunters are exactly like it says: People made into Hunters. Orphans and the like that are picked up get the chance to be made into a Hunter though they'll be at a disadvantage. I don't exactly understand the process, but it involves the potion that you'll be taking when your wings come in."

"What are the disadvantages?" Jasmine asked him curiously.

"One of the biggest one's you'll notice is that they won't get wings," Lykos patiently explained as they walked up a set of stairs, "They won't be as strong as a normal Hunter, but they'll still be better off than any normal person. They'll also have a harder time getting used to their instincts and keeping them under control. It is common for half or more of the made Hunters to die during their teenage years because of that,"

"So you can't be turned into a made Hunter as an adult?" Jasmine was somewhat glad she was a born Hunter rather than a made one.

Lykos shook his head, "You can, but you'll likely go insane from due the instincts you get. Only one in three made Hunters survive if it happens when they're an adult."

Jasmine realized that she needed to reread the book he gave her and speak to one of the older Hunters when she had a chance. There was a lot she didn't know, it became apparent the more time she spent with Lykos. Jasmine needed more knowledge if she wanted to survive outside of England which meant asking questions and reading books.

 **That's a wrap for this chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **Okay! Here's the next chapter. One thing I want to say before you start reading it:**

 **If you don't like it, you shouldn't be reading it.**

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

Jasmine's visit to the infirmary lasted two days during which Jasmine was poked, prodded, forced to drink absolutely vile tasting potions, have some bones removed, have some bones regrown, and a few other things that she didn't want to even think about. She was pleased to find that one of the potions cured her sight, so she no longer had to wear glasses. Jasmine kept the glasses if only out of the reminder they gave her of Sirius as he had given them to her as a Christmas present. Jasmine was happy to leave the infirmary when it was all said and done. Kaze was waiting outside the door when the healers waved her out. Kaze eyed her before grinning, "You look a lot better."

"I feel a lot better," The familiar aches and pains of her old injuries were slowly disappearing thanks to the healers, "I can't remember the last time I felt this good,"

"Good," Kaze turned away from her, "Come on, it's almost time for lunch and Snowy wants you to join us in her rooms,"

"Us?" Jasmine asked as they started to walk.

"Snowy, a division commander, you, and me," Kaze answered as she led the way through the slightly confusing halls, "The division commander is an old friend of both Snowy and I. She grew up and trained alongside us,"

"What's her name?" Jasmine asked Kaze curiously.

"Lena Starlight," Kaze looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "Word of warning, Lena isn't a fan of newcomers,"

And Jasmine had a feeling that she would be making yet another enemy without actually trying. Why did Lady Luck hate her so much?

* * *

Lena Starlight had dark orange eyes and obsidian colored skin. She wore her bright white hair in numerous intricate braids and stood at least a foot taller than Kaze. She had claw-like tattoos in dark blue on her visible skin. Unlike everyone that Jasmine had seen so far, Lena wore slightly bulky armor and a rather large English broad sword on her back. All in all, Lena looked like a female knight and rather out of place. She glared at Jasmine with narrowed eyes making the English witch swallow slightly. Brigid spoke from her place at the rather large table in the room, "Ah, Jasmine, Kaze, you're right on time. Come have a seat, the chefs have prepared quite the selection for us."

Jasmine slowly took a seat while keeping an eye on Lena. Kaze patted the hostile looking woman on the back, "Ease up, Le. She ain't going to do anything."

"Kaze is right, Lena," Brigid spoke in a soft, yet flowing tone that made Jasmine relax, "Jasmine won't hurt anyone,"

Lena looked at Brigid before giving the woman a tense nod and sitting down next to her. Jasmine looked at Brigid with a slightly confused smile, "Why did you want to eat lunch with me?"

"You're still new and don't have your wings," Brigid patiently explained as food appeared on the table and Jasmine gaped at the selection, "I'm not about to throw my newly discovered family member to the wolves in the Food hall. I also wished to speak to you more as I'm sure your story is quite interesting,"

"My story?" Jasmine blinked at her.

"The story of your life," Brigid explained with a sweet smile, "I wish to know how you've lived so far and to understand the rumors we've heard from England about you,"

Jasmine tensed slightly at that. She didn't like thinking about her life, or rather, she didn't like thinking about her time at the Dursleys. Jasmine shook her head lightly, "I-i'd rather not."

Brigid looked at her in confusion while Kaze nodded in understanding. Lena glared at her and growled out, "Why?"

Lena's voice was had an odd accent to it. It was rough and reminded Jasmine of a dragon for some odd reason. Jasmine swallowed slightly and said, "I do not like thinking about my past. My relatives were not the best people nor the most accepting. I would rather avoid speaking of my younger years with them."

Lena growled at her, "You will answer Lady Brigid's questions. You will tell her your story-"

Something inside of Jasmine broke upon hearing those demands and she glared at the armored woman. The glass on the table shattered making the liquids they held soak the table and send shards all over the place as Jasmine's eyes glowed a bright green that reminded those looking of a big-cat. Jasmine hissed at the woman and spoke with a sibilant tone, "You have no right to make demands of me. You know nothing of who I am or what I've been through."

Suddenly a heavy weight fell onto Jasmine and she found herself falling to the ground. In the back of her mind, something whispered alpha. Despite the cold and heavy presence that seemed to suffocate her, Jasmine found herself sweating heavily as her ability to breath was taken away. A dangerous and low humming sound seemed to pound into her ears as her heart seemed to stop beating in her chest. Every single part of her screamed from Jasmine to obey the powerful being that was angry with her or she would die. Slowly, Jasmine turned her head and found Brigid slowly standing up. The woman looked at her with slightly glowing ruby red eyes and spoke slowly, "You will calm down and relax," Jasmine swallowed and nodded before Brigid turned to Lena, "You do not order my family around, Lena. You maybe a dear friend, but you overreached. Jasmine is family and you will treat her that way. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes, Alpha," Lena gasped out and Brigid nodded.

The presence disappeared immediatly as Brigid smiled pleasantly, "Then let's get this mess cleaned up and eat!"

Jasmine didn't move until Kaze reached down to help her up. The woman smiled lightly at her as Jasmine stuttered, "W-what t-the he-ll wa-s t-that?"

"That was my presence," Brigid answered with a sheepish smile, "I use it to keep people in line. I've forgotten how badly it effects newcomers,"

Jasmine slowly got up with Kaze's help as she trembled slightly, "Packs a punch."

"That it does," Kaze giggled softly.

With that said, they began lunch once everything was cleaned up. As they ate, Brigid told Jasmine, "I understand that your past is difficult for you to speak of. If you would be willing, I could examine your memories."

Jasmine grimaced at her words, "If you mean by going into my mind, I would rather not."

Brigid looked troubled as Kaze gazed at her sadly and Lena looked a little confused. Brigid reached out and gently touched Jasmine's cheek making the witch flinch slightly. Jasmine could barely stand being touched by her friends. She was not okay with being touched by strangers. It had taken a lot out of her to let the healers touch her. Brigid withdrew her hand as if she'd been burned and looked at Jasmine with a deep frown, "Who has hurt you, Cousin?"

Jasmine looked away from her as the food she'd been eating turned to ash. Kaze cleared her throat after a few moments of silence, "Perhaps we can use the orbs? It would give her a head start and allow us to see her memories."

"Brilliant idea, Kaze!" Brigid exclaimed as Jasmine turned to look at Kaze in confusion.

Kaze grinned at her and said, "We'll explain after lunch. For now, I think it would be best to discuss what's going to happen for the next week and a half before your birthday."

* * *

After lunch, Jasmine followed Kaze, Lena, and Brigid through the halls of the Den while mulling over the schedule that had been discussed. While Jasmine wouldn't be doing anything too strenuous until the healers gave their consent, she would be going basic stretches and start getting into shape. Apparently, Kaze would be the one over seeing Jasmine's training leading up to her birthday. The reason being that Kaze was both the safest option and had nothing that only she could do. As a result, Kaze would be taking time off her duties with another friend of Brigid's taking the woman's place while she watched over Jasmine for Brigid. By the end of lunch, Jasmine fairly sure there was more too it, but didn't know her companions well enough to call them out on it.

Jasmine was broken out of her musing as Kaze called for her attention. Kaze grinned at her and waved a hand around them, "Welcome to the hall of memories!"

Looking around, Jasmine almost had a flashback of the 'Hall of Prophesy' back at the English ministry of magic. Unlike back there, the room was filled with sunlight that refracted off the shelves. The 'orbs' looked like they were made of the same glass-like crystals only diffrent colors leading to the small rainbow effect. All in all, Jasmine found herself both liking the room and hated it. Looking at Kaze, Jasmine asked, "What are those things made of?"

"Aurora borealis crystals are what most call them," Kaze answered as they moved between the shelves and passed a few people walking around with clipboards in their hands, "The official name is Eritque arcus vitris extract which means 'Crystallized rainbow extract', but that's not a very interesting name,"

"They're made of rainbows?" Jasmine stared at her in disbelief.

"Among other things," Kaze grinned at her, "With magic, anything is possible,"

"Save for safely bringing back the dead, human transmutation, curing cancer," A male voice spoke from ahead of them, "Reversing the aging process, true immortality, and quite a few other things,"

Kaze rolled her eyes and muttered, "Literal bastard."

"How is it going in here, James?" Brigid asked as they exited the shelves and Jasmine found herself on a raised platform.

A tall man with dark sapphire blue eyes and pale skin stood by a large stone basin that sat in the exact center of the platform. He had a beard that rivaled Dumbledore's only far more clean and well taken care of. He looked almost as old as Dumbledore too, but far more healthy than the aged headmaster. He wore a dark blue robe-like coat over a plain looking dress shirt and a pair of black slacks. He had a pair of dappled grey wings on his back. The man eyed her in curiosity before answering Brigid, "Keeping the memory records of our people is tough work even when only dealing with the living and winged memories. I assume this is our wingless newcomer?"

"Jasmine Potter though from what Gabriel has said, she will be taking a new name upon entering High Arch," Brigid answered earning a nod from the man, "Cousin, this is James Heartfield. He's the one in charge of keeping our peoples memories in order as well as ensuring the memories are properly transcribed when someone dies before their orb is taken down to the vault,"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Potter," James said as he eyed her carefully.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Heartfield," Jasmine replied while feeling as if he was judging her.

He nodded lightly, "Come to the basin and do call me James, it will be easier that way."

Jasmine walked over to the basin and peered down into it. Much like the crystals on the shelves, the basin was filled with a liquid rainbow. Jasmine looked at James and asked, "How does it work?"

"Place your hand inside the solution," James instructed, "The solution will go into your memories and copy them down. It will feel a bit odd and uncomfortable as you'll lose the ability to move until everything is copied. Once it's done, you'll remove your hand and the solution will form become a clay like substance. You will then infuse your magic into it and shape it into an orb. The orb will become the color of your raw magic and completely harden as your magic organizes the memories inside of it,"

Jasmine looked at the substance and slowly slid her hand inside after saying, "I don't know how to infuse my magic with stuff."

"I will guide you as I do with everyone that comes into this hall," James informed her.

The solution felt slightly cold at first before it started to heat up. As it began to heat up, Jasmine felt a buzzing in the back of her mind as something tickled at her senses. It wasn't until the buzzing got louder and the area right behind her eyes began to itch that Jasmine felt uncomfortable. She could feel something slithering through her mind and Jasmine attempted to push it out to feel like someone had stabbed her at the center of her head. It hurt like hell and Jasmine wondered what the hell that had been. She attempted to open her mouth, but found that it seemed to be glued shut. Brigid spoke from beside her, "Don't try to push it out, it'll only hurt you. It's merely copying your memories. James, how long?"

"A few more minutes," The man answered while eyeing her, "Has anyone checked out her scar?"

Brigid shook her head, "The healers wanted to get everything else out of the way before they looked at it," Brigid frowned at him, "Why?"

"That is no ordinary cursed scar," James answered softly before he turned to a nearby desk and began to shuffle things around, "If they can't get to it until her wings come in, she'll need to go to them directly afterward,"

"Why?" Kaze asked as she stepped next to Jasmine and peered at the scar curiously.

James only shook his head at them earning a sigh from Brigid and Kaze. Lena scoffed and turned away from the trio. Jasmine couldn't concentrate on them anymore once the solution turned extremely hot. It reminded her of the dragon fire from the first task only it was directly on her skin this time. Jasmine felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand free of the solution. It bubbled ominously as the rainbow of colors shifted and changed. After a few moments, it stopped bubbling and James spoke in a soft almost hypnotic voice, "Now, I want you to remember the feeling of your wand when doing magic. Remember what it felt like just before your spell left the wand. Remember how it felt when you first touched your wand and waved it," The memories burned through her consciousness, "Concentrate on that feeling," Jasmine's hand warmed up as something seemed to fill them, "Focus on your hands and carefully lower them back into the substance. Concentrate on creating a ball with that feeling," Whatever filled her hands seemed to flow into the substance as she molded it, "That's it, you're getting it. Slowly and carefully, yes that's it," The substance began to darken around the edges, "Good, you're almost done, "The substance formed into a sphere and began to cool down, "Almost done, now," It hardened completely in her hands, "Now, slowly let go of the substance," The sphere was gently placed in the center of the basin, "Let the feeling in your hands fade," Jasmine exhaled slowly as the warm feeling receded, "You're finished and made a very nice memory orb."

Jasmine focused on the orb and found her breath hitching. The outside of the orb was a dark reddish silver color while the inside looked almost like star-light with a slightly pink glow. Brigid broke Jasmine out of her shock by place a hand on the teen's shoulder, "Beautiful, Cousin."

James carefully picked up the orb with a gloved hand and said, "I will be processing this in a few hours. You should be able to access the memories inside by tomorrow."

"Thank you for helping us bend the rules a little, James," Brigid smiled brightly and the man nodded before turning away from them, "Now," Brigid looked at Jasmine, "It's time to give you a tour of the places you're allowed to go before your wings come in," Brigid turned to Kaze, "Go get things settled on your end, I want to spend some alone time with my cousin while I'm able to. Lena," The woman looked ready to protest at Brigid's words, "Please go and inform the guards that I will be with my cousin. After that, I need you to go see how our latest batch of graduates is doing,"

Brigid spoke politely, but even Jasmine could hear the demanding undertone. Lena nodded stiffly and muttered a soft, "Yes, My lady."

They left the 'Hall of Memories' behind with Kaze and Lena disappearing in opposite directions. Brigid took Jasmine's arm and smiled as they began to walk. Jasmine bit her bottom lip for a few moments as she mulled over the questions that she had for the woman. Inwardly sighing, Jasmine decided to begin with the easiest one, "What am I supposed to call you?"

"You may call me either Cousin or simply Brigid," Brigid replied with a soothing smile, "My close friends save for Lena call me variations of Snow and at some point, you too may be able to do that," Jasmine was doubtful about that, "Everyone else calls me either My lady or Lady Phoenix depending on who you talk to. To our allies, I am Lady Brigid. To newcomers and our perspective allies, I am either Lady Brigid, Lady Windseeker, Lady Hunter, or Artemis,"

"Artemis?" What did a Greek goddess have to do with this?

Brigid paused and gestured to large mural on the wall. The mural was of a woman with large wings and a dragon curled around her. She stood with an outstretched hand curled around a horn surrounded by gold. Bowed down before her, men, women, and beasts bowed before her. Jasmine felt herself reaching out as the sounds whispered in her mind. A hunting horn booming through the air as the din of battle filled her mind and the sound of a woman singing. Drum beats and the singing of weapons echoed loudly alongside the dying screams. The roars of beasts and monsters seemed to echo louder than the rest. Everything seemed to grow louder as the scent of a battlefield filled her nose. The coppery scent of blood, the smoky scent of fire, the scent of sweat, and the scent of decaying bodies seemed to fill her sense. Everything faded as Brigid spoke softly, "Wake up, Jasmine. Wake up!"

Jasmine gasped as her eyes shot open and she began coughing. Something was pressed against her lips and Jasmine opened her mouth which was filled with water. Soon, Jasmine stopped coughing and was able to open her eyes though she couldn't recall closing them. Brigid stared down at her with concerned eyes and Jasmine realized that she was on the floor with her head in Brigid's lap. Jasmine managed to rasp out, "What was that?"

"The memories of our people," Brigid answered in a soft tone as regret filled her eyes, "I didn't think you'd get those until after your wings came in as you weren't born here. I'm sorry,"

"Memories?" Jasmine could taste the sweat and blood on her tongue, "I-I heard a horn and people fighting while a woman sang. There were drums and people screaming, I could hear beasts and monsters roaring. I could smell it all..."

"That's the beginning of it," Brigid sighed deeply, "The memories of our people are strong. Our instincts come from them which is why it's so hard for some to control themselves. It's why the made Hunters struggle so hard,"

"W-who was singing?" Jasmine hadn't been able to make out the words or even what the woman really sounded like.

Brigid carefully pulled Jasmine into a sitting position, "Mother moon."

"Mother moon?" Jasmine looked at Brigid in confusion as her heart ached at those words.

"The one who blessed us," Brigid slowly stood up before pulling Jasmine up with her.

Jasmine almost fell to the floor as her legs gave out. It was only Brigid's hold on her that kept the teen on her feet. Jasmine looked as Brigid as the world seemed to spin, "Y-you didn't explain about Artemis."

"Every leader is called Lady Artemis," Brigid explained as she carefully began to walk with Jasmine holding onto her, "We are called that in honor of the original Artemis. She gave her life to Mother moon so that we may have the strength to defeat our sword enemy,"

"Who is our enemy?" Jasmine asked as the world slowly dimmed around the edges.

"Demons," Brigid answered making Jasmine turn towards her.

Jasmine found blackness filling her vision and suddenly felt so damn tired. Jasmine stumbled and almost fell as Brigid's voice echoed through her head. With a low groan, Jasmine asked, "What the hell is goin-"

Unconsciousness took hold of her before Jasmine could finish speaking. She barely felt someone picking her up or the touch of a cool hand against her forehead.

* * *

When consciousness returned, Jasmine's head felt like the twins had used it as a practice bludger and her mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. Whispered murmurs sounded around her and Jasmine felt like each one was stabbing a needle into her brain. A groan left Jasmine and the voices cut out before she heard a rustle of clothes. A cool hand touched her forehead and Lykos' voice sounded softly next to her, "How do you feel?"

Jasmine opened her mouth to answer only to start coughing which made her head hurt worse. Someone picked up her head as a cool glass was placed against her lips. Without a thought, Jasmine opened her mouth and found herself drinking something that tasted like the strawberries that sometimes appeared on Hogwarts' tables during the spring. She drank slowly out of habit earning a pleased hum from whoever was holding the glass. When the took it away, Jasmine licked her lips and murmured, "Like a pair of beaters decided to use my head as their practice bludger."

A low chuckle sounded from beside her as she heard Kaze say, "Yeah, the memories tend to kick your ass the first few times it happens."

"It'll happen again?" Jasmine almost whined out.

"Yeah. It's part of being a Hunter," Kaze sounded slightly apologetic, "You'll get used to it,"

"How often?" Jasmine didn't exactly know what she was asking.

Kaze didn't seem to mind the open ended question and said, "Until you've managed to get through why we became Hunters and the memories of your clan, they'll happen everyday and sometimes more. Even after that, you'll still get flashes of memories."

Jasmine didn't like the prospect of anything messing with her mind. Everything inside of her balked at the thought of it, Jasmine would have trouble with this. She just knew it.

* * *

After she had woken up from her memory induced nap, Jasmine was taken to eat a very late dinner before heading to bed. In the morning, Jasmine was woken up by an eager Kaze throwing a bucket of extreamly cold water onto her. Jasmine shot up with a gasp before glaring at the giggling Hunter through heavily dripping hair, "What the hell was that for?!"

"Rise and shine, sleepy brat!" Kaze exclaimed with a grin, "It's time to begin. You have five minutes to get dressed in some training clothes before we begin,"

"What about food and a shower?" Jasmine asked as she slowly got out of bed.

"Later!" Kaze's grin changed and Jasmine felt a shudder run through her body as she caught the gleam in the woman's eyes, "You now have four minutes and thirty-six seconds to get ready. If you aren't dressed in that time, I will be dragging you out regardless of your state of dress,"

With that said, Kaze disappeared and Jasmine had the sinking feeling that she wasn't lying. Inwardly cursing as she glanced out of the window and caught the predawn light, Jasmine hurried to get dressed. She had managed to pull on her shoes as Kaze burst into the room. Somehow, Jasmine had the feeling that the purple haired woman was disappointed. Kaze dragged Jasmine out of her room, through various corridors, and into a large training ground. Jasmine looked around herself before glancing at Kaze. She had knew this would probably be on par with Wood's quidditch practices or Dudley playing 'Jasmine hunting' with his gang. Grimacing, Jasmine got ready for whatever Kaze decided to throw at her.

* * *

A thoroughly exhausted Jasmine stumbled into Brigid's rooms three hours later. Brigid looked at her with a sympathetic smile, "I take it she didn't take it easy on you?"

"I had to test her physical capabilities before I did anything else, Snowy!" Kaze exclaimed as she strode through the door and plopped down at the table beside Jasmine.

Jasmine slowly reached for the cup next to her plate only to find a potion vial shoved in her face. A feminine looking house elf wearing a light grey and sapphire blue dress stood beside her. The elf exclaimed, "Miss Hunter will drink this before eating."

Jasmine took the vial from the house elf and watched as it disappeared. Brigid spoke as Jasmine eyed the vial, "It's more than likely a nutrition potion. The healers will have you taking them for awhile from the report I got this morning."

Nodding slightly, Jasmine uncorked the vial and downed the potion quickly. It wasn't a bad tasting potion compared to the many she'd been forced to drink during her visit to the infirmary. Grabbing her cup, Jasmine took a sip and was greeted with the taste of strawberries. Humming softly as she liked her lips, Jasmine asked, "How come this tastes like strawberries?"

"It's one of the specific drinks that Windseeker makes and supplies to our allies," Brigid answered with a bright smile, "Unlike pumpkin juice, our strawberry water tastes exactly like strawberries and is quite nutritious,"

"Tastes better too," Kaze added with a slight grimace, "How the English dogs think it tastes good, I have no clue,"

"It isn't that bad," Jasmine told Kaze earning a snort from the purple haired woman.

Before Kaze could reply, Brigid suggested, "Let's start eating, we all have a lot to do today. Jasmine," Jasmine looked at her as she filled her plate with some of the more interesting dishes on the table, "I was told that you had an owl for a familiar, is that true?"

Jasmine shook her head with a low sigh, "Hedwig is a good owl, but she isn't my familiar. We never gained the bond that the books talked about and I could never get any supplies for the rituals that I found in the restricted section."

She had only looked at those books after hearing a rather odd conversation between two seventh year students back during her second year. Brigid smiled lightly, "That's good."

"Why?" Jasmine asked before taking a bite of her bacon.

"Because it is likely that she would have died when your wings came in," Brigid answered almost making Jasmine choke.

Swallowing her bite of bacon quickly and taking a sip of her drink, Jasmine almost shrieked, "What?!"

"The amount of energy we put off when our wings come in is immense," Brigid informed Jasmine as she picked up her cup, "If she had been your familiar, the magic you were giving off would have traversed down the bond between you. Once in reached her, she would have been filled with slightly volatile magic until she exploded. On the off chance that she managed to get rid of the excess energy once her body reached it's limit, the foreign magic would have caused her body to tear itself apart due to the amount of foreign magic inside of her," Brigid took a sip of her drink as Jasmine paled, "Either would have led to an excruciating death though the first option would be the shortest of the two,"

Jasmine grimaced and decided that it was a really good thing she hadn't bonded with the owl. Despite how her stomach twisted, Jasmine continued to eat her breakfast and asked, "What will happen once I get my wings?"

"During the week after, you'll be extremely weak which may or may not lead you to be bed ridden," Kaze was the one to speak as Brigid was eating her own breakfast, "The reason being is that you'll be adjusting to your new appendages. After that week, you'll be getting used to your wings and strengthening them. By this time next month, you should be able to move your wings freely and fly for short distances. Seeing as High Arch begins around that time, you'll need it,"

"The pamphlets mentioned an entrance exam, what exactly is that?" Jasmine asked them curiously.

Brigid giggled softly as Kaze snickered. Brigid was the one to take that question, "The entrance exam will have you traveling to High Arch from a set point with every other perspective student. You'll have five days to reach the school which won't be an easy feat as you'll be traversing through some very dangerous areas on the island. Once you reach the school, you'll be given two days to recover before the Professors test you on your knowledge. Depending on what they see, you'll be placed in the classes that you're interested in."

"Any suggestions?" Jasmine asked earning smirks from the two.

Kaze was quick to say, "Make sure you have at least one vampire, a shifter of some type, and two other people with you. I would say fea, but they tend to stay away from Hunters as their magic doesn't really work on us."

"Keep an eye on your surroundings and take lots of supplies," Brigid suggested in a light tone, "Make sure you have clothes for all seasons and areas,"

Jasmine inclined her head before asking, "Does the school have a uniform?"

"No though you'll notice that students tend to dress like other members of their species," Kaze looked slightly amused, "Best way to confuse the fuck out of people during the first week you're at the school is to wear a diffrent type of outfit everyday and diffrent colors,"

After that, Kaze and Brigid stopped talking about High Arch. They focused the conversation on what was going on in Windseeker. Jasmine listened to the two as she worked on finishing her breakfast and mused over the information she learned.

* * *

As the days until her birthday passed, Jasmine developed a routine. In the mornings, she would attempt to get up before Kaze came to wake her for their morning training session. After showering and eating breakfast, Jasmine spent her time until lunch looking through her books or reading a book that was suggested to her by Kaze. After lunch, Kaze took Jasmine around the Den until she either passed out from a new memory or it was time for dinner. After dinner, Brigid taught Jasmine how to meditate and access her magic. All of Jasmine's meals were taken in Brigid's rooms where she spent the meal getting to know the ruby eyed woman. The only time this hadn't happened was a few days before Jasmine's birthday when a messenger arrived before they could sit down to eat. The messenger looked very worried and ruffled as he spoke hurriedly in the language Jasmine had heard on her first day at Windseeker. Brigid had turned worried and a little bit angry as the man continued to speak. When he finished, Brigid sent him away and had Kaze lead Jasmine back to the teenage witch's current rooms.

Jasmine looked at Kaze with a frown, "What's going on?"

"Some uninvited guests have decided to come here," Kaze answered with a tight smile, "Snowy will get rid of them, but she wants you to be unseen,"

"Why?" Jasmine had a sinking feeling in her gut that Dumbledore had somehow found her.

"Our visit from the English dogs are never pleasant," Kaze opened Jasmine's door and pushed her inside, "I need to go check on everything. Your lunch should be up soon,"

"What language was that?" Jasmine burst out before Kaze could shut the door.

Kaze paused slightly and blinked before replying, "Hyian. It's the language of the Hunters. We'll start you on lessons soon. Now, stay in here until someone comes to get you."

"Will you tell me what happened after?" Jasmine couldn't stop herself from asking.

Kaze nodded lightly, "Of course."

Jasmine watched the door shut before heading over to her bed and laying down.

* * *

Hours later, Kaze came to get Jasmine. They walked to Brigid's rooms in silence and Jasmine felt worry. Were they going to throw her back to England? Did she cause them too much trouble? Jasmine's heart clenched at the thought of being forced back to England. She wanted to stay here and continue getting to know Brigid. She liked the woman and could see becoming close to her once time passed. The opening of Brigid's door broke Jasmine from her thoughts and she walked through. Brigid stood by one of the windows with a wine glass in her hand and a frown on her face as she stared out into the darkening sky. She turned towards them and her expression eased upon seeing Jasmine, "Cousin."

"What happened?" Jasmine felt a little sick.

"The UK ministry of magic is looking for you," Brigid answered as she walked over to the table which was filled with wonderful smelling food, "They managed to track you here through the trace on your wand. I've managed to convince them that you'd only passed through here after buying a new wand. Dumbledore was not with them this time, but some of his cronies that I recognized from your memories were. I have no doubt that Dumbledore will be coming by at some point once it becomes clear that no one can find you,"

Jasmine swallowed nervously, "W-what's going to happen now?"

"Tomorrow, we will be getting you a new wand," Brigid answered while waving a hand towards the table, "Until your wings come in, I will be cloaking your magic encase someone decides to look for you that way,"

Jasmine slowly took a seat, "So my magical signature will change when my wings come in?"

"Somewhat," Brigid answered as they began to get dinner, "It will muddle your signature enough that people will overlook it while attempting to find you. Over the next year and a half, your magical signature will gradually change as it adapts to the changes that will be occurring to your body,"

"Changes?" Jasmine looked at her feeling slightly alarmed, "I thought the wings and instincts would be the only new stuff,"

Brigid shook her head, "Hunters are almost on par and sometimes better than the stronger magical beings. We have denser muscles, our senses are far more heightened, we age very slowly, our magical cores are bigger, our magic is easier to manipulate, our speed is on almost as good as a High Elves, and so much more," Jasmine's eyes were wide as she stared at Brigid, "To put it simply, we are some of the strongest beings alive and for good reason."

"The demons," Jasmine realized earning a nod from the other two, "We need that stuff to survive,"

It was the only reason that she could think of. With the memories she'd seen so far, Jasmine could understand. Every memory had something to do with shadowy beings that she couldn't really see slaughtering everything in their path. Even in her dreams, the memories appeared only each one was almost completely crystal clear save for the shadowy beings. Swallowing heavily, Jasmine looked at Brigid and saw the grief on her face. Why, Jasmine didn't know and wasn't going to push the woman to explain.

* * *

On the eve of her birthday, Jasmine found herself sitting naked beside Brigid in a rather large chamber made of some pearly white stone. The walls were engraved with runes that shown softly through the darkness. The room was dimly lit by the moonlight that managed to get through the hole above them As the minutes ticked by until her birthday, Jasmine asked Brigid, "What's going to happen?"

"You'll feel a surge of something beneath your skin," Brigid began to explain as the doors opened to admit Kaze and two others, "You won't feel any pain at first only a mild itch. Suddenly, you'll feel a sharp pain along your spine. After that, the process truly begins. A word of warning," Brigid stated as Kaze moved to grab a vial filled with some type of potion, "The pain will be maddening and make you wish to die. No matter what, you must will yourself to live or death will take you,"

"So think of what I have to live for?" Jasmine asked earning a nod, "Who are they?"

The two Hunter's wore dark blue robes lined with pearly white. Jasmine couldn't see their faces as they were covered by the hood of their cloaks. The only visible parts of them were their pale hands and feet. They stood behind Jasmine as Brigid replied, "They are the twins of Dusk. No one knows their actual names as they've been around for a very long time. They are here to ensure your wings come in correctly and to keep your magic inside this room."

Jasmine nodded feeling slightly nervous, "How much longer?"

"Soon," Was Brigid's only reply.

The minutes ticked by and Jasmine squirmed the longer she waited. Just as she went to say something, Jasmine's breath was taken away as something rose up inside of her. It made her skin feel like ants were crawling beneath it. As suddenly as it rose up, Jasmine's spine erupted in sharp pains that caused her to cry out softly. It made her black out for a few seconds before it faded all of a sudden. Jasmine found herself being pushed into a kneeling position as Kaze pressed a vial to her lips. Jasmine opened her mouth and drank the potion. It felt like ice was sliding down her throat and numbing her body. Jasmine barely noticed something holding her in place as pain seared down her spine again. This time, it ran along her shoulder blades. Jasmine gasped and cursed softly. Brigid was speaking in Hyian over her head as Jasmine blacked out again.

Jasmine forced her mind to focus on the memories of her friends. They were the reason she was going to live. They were the reason she was going to fight Voldemort. They were the whole reason why she was doing this. She would live to protect them. Jasmine ran everything through her mind as searing pain seemed to grip her body. She wouldn't, couldn't die here since she needed to see them again. She needed to make it back to them once she was stronger.

On and on, Jasmine felt spikes of searing pain going through her body. It was far worse than the basilisk bite and she knew why Brigid told her to focus on why she wanted to live. Forcing her mind away from the pain, Jasmine recalled her friends and why they were important to her. She remembered how they stood by her side through every trial. She recalled Ron's actions in fourth year and how sorry he'd been once he realized the danger she was in. She remembered how hard he worked to make it up to her this year. She still didn't quite trust him or feel as close to him as she once had, but Jasmine found herself forgiving the boy.

The pain seemed to reach a fever pitch as her back shifted and snakes seemed to be slithering under the skin. She gritted her teeth as the pain got so much worse. It was only a few seconds later that Jasmine not so much as heard, but felt her skin rip open. She dimly heard someone screaming as hands seemed to grab something and pull on it. Tears blurred her vision alongside the darkness of unconsciousness, but Jasmine forced herself to stay awake. Warmth ran down her back and along her arms as she stared down at the ground. Crimson red blood flowed onto the ground like wet paint from a knocked over can. Jasmine was reminded of rain as she saw the blood spreading against the ground. Something twisted in her stomach as heat seemed to burn through every nerve ending and she felt bile rise up her throat. Agony gripped her like a bear hug as whatever was coming out of her back was pulled and jerked around.

Jasmine could barely focus as something bubbled up underneath her skin. She wanted the pain to end. She needed it to end before she went made. It was so much worse than the cruciatus curse. Whatever was bubbling beneath her skin suddenly exploded outward and the pain disappeared almost instantly leaving a heavy ache as tiredness gripped her. Jasmine panted softly as she realized that at some point during everything, she'd fallen to the floor. A hand touched her forehead and a voice that Jasmine vaguely recognized as Brigid spoke softly, "Sleep, my little Cousin. Rest, you've done so well. I'm proud of you."

Jasmine's eyes felt heavy and she decided to follow her advice.

* * *

Brigid looked down at her cousin with a soft smile as the teenager slept peacefully. She glanced towards Kaze as the purple haired woman whistled softly, "She's alive."

"And needs a bath before I'm tempted to bite her," Gabriel strode out of the shadows and Kaze snorted softly.

Brigid rolled her eyes at that statement as she carefully picked up her blood covered cousin, "It is odd that her back healed with that burst of magic."

"Just shows how powerful her magic is," Kaze said while walking over, "While I hate to agree with the tick, she does need a bath,"

Brigid inclined her head before looking at Lykos. The vampire inclined his head and Brigid left the room. Lykos followed her close behind while Kaze stayed behind. Only once they were safely inside Brigid's rooms and in the bathroom, Brigid spoke softly, "What did you sense?"

"She is a powerful little thing," Lykos replied as he watched Brigid place the blood covered form of her cousin in the already filled tub, "Somehow the thing inside of her scar survived," He didn't bother looking away as Brigid undressed herself and got into the tub with Jasmine, "I am fairly sure that my first thoughts about it were correct,"

"And what were those thoughts," Brigid began to clean up the teenage witch as the water in the tub slowly turned pink.

Lykos frowned darkly, "Even with the purge we did, the English somehow managed to keep their knowledge of Horcrux's. While I'm sure only a scant few books on them exist outside of what's in the archives, someone managed to get their hands on them and use that knowledge."

"So what do we need in order to get rid of it?" Brigid looked away from her cousin as the water suddenly turned clear once more.

Lykos' frown deepened, "While I do have some knowledge on the subject, I will need to go into the archives and call a few contacts."

"What do I tell her?" Brigid asked as she finished cleaning off the blood on Jasmine's body and began to work on the teen's new wings.

"The truth and get her to understand that we'll do everything to help her," Lykos looked down at Jasmine before turning away, "I need to get started,"

Lykos froze at the soft tone Brigid used when she called out, "Gabe," He swallowed softly, "Does she remind you of her?"

Lykos closed his eyes and clenched his fist, "Don't, Brigid. Do not go there."

With that said, Lykos disappeared in a burst of shadows leaving Brigid staring after him. With a low sigh, she glanced down at her cousin and smiled slightly, "It looks like you'll be in for some interesting times, my cousin."

 **Here's the next chapter. The Updates from now on will be either every week on Thursday or every two weeks on Thursday. Tell me whatcha think and remember:**

 **If you don't like it, you don't need to read it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice: I must apologize again for the confusion. I have ensured that this will not happen again. On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

When Jasmine woke up, it was to an aching back and feeling like Dudley had worked her over. Groaning softly as she struggled to open her eyes, Jasmine registered the tiredness that seemed to radiate from her very bones. When she finally managed to get her eyes open, Jasmine found herself in the room that she'd been staying in since arriving only it was all sideways. She didn't get a chance to ponder over why that could be when the door to her room swung open to reveal Kaze. The purple haired Hunter grinned brightly upon seeing that Jasmine was awake, "Good! I thought you might sleep through your birthday."

"W-what time is it?" Jasmine rasped out.

"Almost noon," Kaze walked over and reached out, "Let's get you sitting up,"

Upon sitting up, Jasmine realized that she'd woken up on her side which was odd. A heavy weight settled against her back and almost made her fall back. Jasmine attempted to turn her head to see what was behind her, but a house elf appeared with a tray. It was filled with food and Jasmine's stomach growled as she caught the scent of it. The house elf set it on Jasmine's lap and she told it, "Thank you."

The house elf flushed lightly and stammered out a reply before popping away. Jasmine dug into her food immediatly which earned a laugh from Kaze. Kaze plopped down on one of the chairs in the room and commented, "I'm surprised you aren't asking questions."

Jasmine paused just before she took a bite of toast and peered at Kaze curiously, "What questions am I supposed to ask?"

"How you got here, why you aren't covered in blood, why it feels like someone decided to wack you with a steel pipe over and over again, and other questions like that," Kaze replied as Jasmine began eating once more.

Jasmine considered the questions as her memories of what occurred hours earlier returned. Wincing slightly at the amount of pain she'd gone through, Jasmine asked, "Where is Brigid?"

"Listening to our people and their needs," Kaze answered while eyeing her, "You really don't have any questions of last night?"

Jasmine took a sip of her drink before replying, "I figured someone would have cleaned me up and brought me back here once everything was finished. The pain I feel is more than likely a result of last night," Jasmine paused for a few moments as she thought about her next few words, "The heavy weight on my back is from my wings, right?"

"Yup," Kaze looked behind her and smiled, "They suit you,"

"When will I be able to see them correctly?" Jasmine began eating the soup that was on the tray, "And how come I haven't been given any potions yet?"

"You should be able to see them after you eat," A house elf appeared and handed Kaze a glass of some type of wine, "As for the potion, you can't be given any for the next week or so. The magic in your body is currently in a very delicate state where if outside magic is introduced into your system, it could very well cause your magic to fight against itself,"

"A painful death," Jasmine wanted to roll her eyes as that seemed to be the only answer she'd gotten since arriving, "What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?"

"It's likely that you'll be heading back to sleep within the next hour or so until tomorrow at the very least," Kaze replied after taking a sip of her drink, "It's a common theme amongst newly winged Hunters. For the next week or so, you'll be in and out of consciousness a lot. You'll also be very hungry upon waking up as your body is eating up a lot of calories working to balance itself out. Once you reach the last day or so, you'll be able to stay awake for awhile longer. After that, we work on getting your wings strengthened and teaching you how to properly care for them. In a few weeks, you'll learn how to seal them away,"

"Seal them away?" Jasmine's mind went to the gate back when she first arrived and met General Rikos, "Like that man, General Rikos?"

Kaze looked slightly surprised, but nodded lightly, "Yes. The gate guards usually keep their wings sealed away as does anyone usually on a mission."

"How does it work?" Jasmine finished off her soup and the last bit of her brunch.

"I won't explain it in full detail until it's time for you to learn," Kaze looked serious as she spoke, "Keeping our wings sealed is very hard on both our bodies and our wings. With practice, you can learn how to keep them sealed for days at a time, but until you're older and have had them for awhile, you cannot risk it," Jasmine nodded in agreement, "With magic and our will, we can force our wings into our back where they will become an imprint. The imprint looks exactly like our wings and if anyone sees them, they will assume it's a very well done tattoo," Kaze noted Jasmine's finished food and drink before she stood up, "Let's head out onto the balcony so that you can stretch your wings out as much as possible,"

Getting up and over to the balcony was a chore that left Jasmine far more tired than she'd ever felt in her life; However, she felt a great weight fall off her shoulders upon stepping out onto the balcony and feeling the breeze run through her hair. Without thinking about it, Jasmine moved to the edge of the balcony and took a deep breath as she stared out over Windseeker. The view was amazing and Jasmine couldn't wait to see it from the sky. Jasmine turned to look at Kaze, "It's beautiful."

"Agreed," Kaze actually smiled softly as she stared at Windseeker and the many beings running around below, "This is why we fight, you know. It's why we do whatever it takes to be the best and fighting back against our enemies,"

"I can see why," Jasmine felt just as she had upon entering the wards of Hogwarts as she peered down at the bustling city, "This is home,"

"Glad to hear you say that," Kaze grinned at her, "Now let's get those wings of yours stretched out,"

Almost an hour passed before Jasmine managed to get her wings fully extended. It had hurt like hell getting her wings to actually move at first. Kaze had to physically help her extend the new appendages at first as the muscles protested any movement at all. This help had led Jasmine to a rather interesting discovery, her new wings were incredibly sensitive and apparently would stay that way due to the amount of nerves inside of them. By the time she managed to get the thick muscles to fully extend, Jasmine was ready to go to bed without seeing them. It was only due to Kaze being there and encouraging that she was able to look at them. The sight took her breath away as she stared at the beautiful feathers.

Downy soft and darkly colored, the wings were larger than she was. The feathers were outwardly a soft reddish gold that deepened into a dark crimson gold with black, purple, and dark blue spots mixed in. The black spots were swirling lines that seemed interconnected with purple coiled around them ranging from an almost unseen purplish color to a light amethyst. The dark blue spots looked more like splashes of ink that ranged from a soft pastel blue to an almost black navy blue. Jasmine found herself murmuring, "Like night slowly turning into day...dawn."

"Mhmm," Kaze hummed lightly as she looked at the downy wings, "You're wings will slowly shed these feathers for the next two months. Once they're fully gone, we can proceed with actually teaching you how to fly,"

"I look forward to that day," Jasmine murmured as she ran a careful hand over the soft feathers.

A shudder ran down her spine at the feeling and Kaze told her, "Outside of your family, you shouldn't let anyone touch them save for your mate."

"Why?" Jasmine asked while pulling her hand away.

Kaze began guiding Jasmine back inside, "Our wings are the most sensitive and vulnerable part of a Hunter's body. To allow another to touch them is to trust them completely, the only people you should allow do so outside of your family and the healers is the person you will call your mate. Not even the people you consider friends should touch them, it's one of the things we consider taboo."

"Mate?" Jasmine's eyes were getting heavy as Kaze helped her over to the bed.

"An explanation for another time," Jasmine flopped onto the bed and shifted to lay on her side, "It is something that shouldn't be discussed while half asleep,"

Jasmine gave a soft hum in reply as a blanket was carefully settled over her. She fell asleep almost immediately afterward.

* * *

During the next week, Kaze's words proved true and Jasmine spent most of the next week asleep. The precious few hours she spent awake were spent eating and getting cleaned up. Brigid spent some time with Jasmine when the ruby eyed woman could pull herself away from her work. When Jasmine was finally able to stay awake longer than an hour, Kaze began to teach her wing care. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that everyone had diffrent ways to care for their wings, so Jasmine spent much of her time experimenting with everything. As soon as she could properly care for her wings and had the strength to move around properly, Jasmine found herself exorcising her wings with Kaze outside. Kaze was a harsh task mistress, but Jasmine had known that from the brief time she'd spent training under the purple haired woman. In the end, Jasmine found herself falling asleep almost immediatly every night.

* * *

After two weeks of strengthening her wings and body, Jasmine found herself following Kaze into the bowls of the Den. They passed many Hunters both with and without their wings that stared at Jasmine. The stares were a mixed bag of curiosity, hostility, interest, and a few others that Jasmine couldn't really understand. Kaze spoke as they passed underneath a large stone archway, "When we get to our destination, you need to stay silent unless spoken to."

"Where are we going?" Jasmine finally asked the question that had been on her mind since Kaze told her to follow.

"We are going to where the newly Winged are," Kaze answered as they passed through more unfamiliar areas, "Today is the day you'll be named alongside the other fledglings that managed to survive their first few weeks. Some of them will be your future classmates,"

That statement had Jasmine offering Kaze a confused look, "Not all of them?"

"Some didn't make the cut and others are in apprenticeships," Kaze explained as they slowly came to a large pair of doors, "If you're in an apprenticeship, you cannot go to High Arch," Kaze glanced at her, "Ready?"

Jasmine looked at the large door and felt her heart beat pick up. She was about to meet other Hunters her own age and maybe find some friends among them. Swallowing as she stared at the twin dragon's carved into the doors, Jasmine murmured, "Yeah."

The doors swung open with barely a touch from Kaze and noise exploded into the once silent hallway. Kaze strode inside without a backwards glance and Jasmine quickly followed after her. A sea of colors filled the slightly dark room and Jasmine almost felt overwhelmed from the amount of noise echoing through the stone chamber. The room was shaped like a hexagon with no furniture. The only furnishings in the room were the crystal-like lights on the walls and the large platform which Brigid stood on. Kaze took her attention, "Head into the crowd, I'll be up on the stage with Snowy."

"Oh," Jasmine felt an uncomfortable feeling settle on her stomach upon hearing those words.

"I'll see you once everything's done," Kaze reached out and grasped her shoulder with a grin, "Everything will be fine, brat,"

With those somewhat encouraging words, Kaze disappeared through the crowd. Jasmine looked at the sea of newly Winged Hunters and sighed deeply. With her luck, she would probably make an enemy somehow. About to take a step forward, a warm voice spoke from beside her earning a slight flinch, "Intimidating, I know. So many of them all bunched together," Jasmine turned and found a boy standing not far from her, "If you want, you can wait with me during this whole thing."

Jasmine bit her lip and considered the options presented to her. On one hand, she could follow Kaze's orders and disappear into the crowd where it is highly likely she'll somehow piss someone off. On the other, she could stay with this unknown boy and maybe make a friend. Kaze would likely get a little peeved with her about not going into the crowd, but Jasmine decided to stay with the boy. Nodding lightly, Jasmine murmured, "Thanks."

"No problem," The boy smiled revealing shark-like teeth, "My names Edric Hale,"

Jasmine stared at his teeth for a few moments before deciding that they didn't matter. She had seen weirder and would likely see even weirder things later on. Offering the boy a light smile, Jasmine replied with her new name, "Ariadne Dagny."

The boy blinked slightly before inclining his head, "New name?"

Jasmine was surprised by the fact he knew, but managed to reply, "I'd rather not be tracked down using my old name and would like to move away from the reputation I had."

"Kept getting compared to your parents?" Edric asked earning a nod, "Same here though it's more my mom than my dad here," Edric glanced towards the stage, "It's about to start. I do have a question for you," Jasmine looked at him curiously while feeling apprehension rise inside her chest, "What were you doing with Kaze?"

"She's been teaching me since I came here a week and a half before my birthday," Jasmine told him before asking, "High Arch?"

"Yeah. I'm going for healing with a few others added in on the requests of my parents," Edric's eyes were a deep golden color and his pupils were slitted, "What are you taking?"

"Creature Magic, Blood Magic, and Elemental magic mostly with a few others that caught my interest," Jasmine glanced towards the stage and saw Brigid move towards the pedestal-like thing on the stage, "It looks like Brigid's about to start,"

"An interesting mix," Edric managed to mutter before a loud screech echoed through the room.

Jasmine covered her ears with a low hiss at the sheer volume while offering Brigid's dragon familiar a glare. He glanced at her and Jasmine had a feeling that the damn thing was amused. Jasmine uncovered her ears after a few moments while muttering a few curse and glanced around the room. Many that had been in the crowd were now on their knees or laying on the ground while clutching their ears. The few that managed to stay standing were looking around as if disorientated. A few of them merely looked at their fellows on the ground and sneered leading Jasmine to decide to avoid them as much as possible.

* * *

It took awhile for everyone to recover from the screech, but in the end, they all stood in front of the platform or on the sides while giving Brigid their full attention. Brigid smiled lightly at them, "Glad that Shesha managed to get your attention, I hope in the future it will not be needed," A few grumbles echoed around the room, "Now, it's time for us to begin. On this day, you all will receive your new names. These names will be how you're referred to by our people and your comrades, it will be the name that will be placed in our books until such a time as you earn the right to be known as your actual name. This is to both protect you and keep with our traditions, we Hunters have many enemies other than our oldest that won't hesitate to attack you if they knew your actual name," Jasmine grimaced since she knew that her actual name would cause trouble no matter what, "The name given to you maybe embarrassing or just unusual, but you're still going to be required to use it. Trust me on that," A few snickers echoed around the room making Brigid smile wider, "Now, we will begin. One of my associates will call you by your given name and you'll come onto the stage. Once there, I will give you a new name and a number. Once everyone is named and numbered, we will move on."

A name got called shortly after and Jasmine looked at Edric, "Number?"

"I think that's how they're placing us in our Flights," Edric replied earning a confused look from Jasmine, "You're the one that got brought here by Lykos, right?" Jasmine nodded and Edric shook his head lightly, "Right. Flights are basically the people we'll be training with until we managed to get into a division. Our Flight Commanders will be the ones to ensure we train hard and know how to take care of ourselves. They'll also give us a basic idea of what weapons and fighting style we should learn from High Arch. Other than that, they'll explain everything once we get divided up," Edric looked at her for a few moments before asking, "Do you know if they'll use your new name or original one?"

"No, but I hope they use the new one," Jasmine ran a hand through her hair.

Edric was silent for a few moments before replying, "Let's hope they do. This is the best place to start over."

They were given their answer almost immediatly afterward, "Ariadne Dagny."

Jasmine swallowed before making her way towards the stage. Whispers and stared followed her every move reminding Jasmine of her Hogwarts days. Grimacing slightly, Jasmine climbed onto the stage and Brigid offered her a warm smile. Jasmine managed to return it as Brigid spoke out, "From this day forward, you shall be known among your brothers and sisters as Eos."

Eos, the Greek goddess of the dawn. Jasmine could live with that. She took the white button from the man standing on the platform before returning to her spot next to Edric. Edric peered at her wings before nodding his head, "Fits you. What number?"

Jasmine looked at it and said, "Seven."

Edric winced slightly earning a sharp look from Jasmine, "Damn," He shook his head lightly, "I hope your resilient since Flight Seven's head Commander is supposed to be a hard ass while one of the others is a real klutz."

Before Jasmine could ask for more or Edric could say anything else, Edric was called up to the stage. Jasmine listened as Brigid spoke, "From this day forward, you shall be known among your brothers and sisters as Ladon."

So Edric was named after the dragon that guarded the golden apple trees, Jasmine found herself puzzled. Brigid had named them after beings belonging to Greek Mythology, but why? Sighing inwardly, Jasmine would need to speak with the woman to get that answer. Edric approached and held up his button revealing a bright red 'Seven' painted on it. With a small smile, Jasmine said, "Looks like we're stuck together."

Edric snorted softly as he carefully leaned back against the wall, "It's better this way since I'll be around to help you understand stuff," He paused for a few seconds before adding, "Just so you know, we're cousins."

"Cousins?" Jasmine looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm an Evans on my mother's side," He explained while looking back towards the stage, "We have the same great grandparents,"

Jasmine forced herself to relax upon hearing that. So Brigid wasn't her only family member, she had expected that, but he was even closer in relation to her than the ruby eyed woman. He was also around her age which would make it easier to get closer to one another. She wondered if him being in the same Flight as her was deliberate before shrugging it off. She needed to meet more decent family members and Edric might actually become a good friend in time. She could have the relationship she had wanted with her cousin, but never got because Dudley was an ass and his parents only encouraged it. Taking a deep breath, Jasmine smiled at him, "Why don't we become friends? We don't need to think of one another as family right now."

Edric looked slightly surprised before nodding with a slight smile, "I'd like that."

* * *

After everyone had been given a new name and number, Brigid spoke once more, "Once you leave this room, you are to head down the hallway towards the underground arena. Once there, you will go to the area labeled with your number. You will meet one of your Flight Commanders and go from there. I wish you all well."

As soon as the doors opened and they were allowed to leave, Jasmine followed Edric as he led the way towards the underground arena. Curios as to why a place like that was there, Jasmine asked, "What is the underground arena used for?"

"Tournaments that pop up sometimes, exhibition matches for promotions, and quite a bit of other stuff," Edric explained as they practically ran down the hallway, "High Arch uses it a few times during the year in order to show off some of the more interesting magics you can learn. They want people to go to the school even if there are a lot of deaths each year,"

Jasmine winced slightly, but with how High Arch operated, death would be a regular occurrence. Jasmine pushed that out of her mind and asked, "Why do you want to go to High Arch?"

"Get away from my family and learn in the place that my parents met," Edric glanced at her, "I also want to make a name for myself and High Arch is the place to do so even if your family is Alumni. I got inspired during one of their combat practices that they held in the arena," He looked forward once more and said, "We're almost there,"

* * *

The underground arena was built much like the Roman Colosseum with a bunch of balconies sticking out. It was brightly lit and Jasmine's eyes hurt a little from the lighting change, but she was grateful for it. Glancing around the area curiously as they left the tunnel they'd been inside and entered into the dirt floor of the arena, she spotted the numbers set up and found seven very quickly. She turned to Edric and immediatly found herself staring at him.

Edric had pinkish red hair that fell to his waist and dark amber colored skin. He stood taller than Jasmine which wasn't very hard seeing as she was fairly short. He had a lithe body that reminded her of the swimmers she once saw when Petunia decided to watch the Olympics. He similar clothing to Kaze only his were tan and light blue. The two things that took Jasmine attention were the markings on his cheeks and his wings. Edric's wings looked more like the wings she'd seen on the Hungarian Horntail only more elegant and covered in what looked like a soft layer of fur. The markings on his cheeks looked like someone had slashed a paint brush across them with electric blue paint edged with a light yellow color. Jasmine quickly shook her head and decided to ask him about it later as she said, "Found where we need to go."

She pointed towards the large number seven painted in eye searing orange and Edric nodded, "Let's go."

They moved quickly towards the area and found a crimson haired woman with jade green eyes waiting for them. The woman grinned brightly as her spiky shoulder length hair shifted until a light orange squirrel popped it's head out. It squeaked at them as it's giant pink eyes narrowed at them. The woman's wings were orange much like the squirrel only darker and made Jasmine glad that they lacked the eye searing properties of the number above them. The woman squealed loudly, "Fledglings! The names Sunny and I can't wait-"

She took a step forward only to trip on thin air and fall onto the ground. Jasmine stared at her with wide eyes as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Edric let out a low mutter of, "Dear Mother in the sky, we're dead."

Jasmine was about to ask what he meant when Sunny jumped up with a manic grin on her face and continued to speak where she left off, "To teach you guys everything I know," The clumsy Huntress paused and seemed to noticed that they were the only two 'fledglings' there, "Where are the others?"

"We got here first," Edric answered as Jasmine shook herself out of the shock that had come over her.

"Edric Hail," Sunny eyed him with a light frown, "Now known as Ladon. The hybrid of the Evans clan," She then turned to Jasmine, "Ariadne Dagny, now known as Eos. The daughter of the forgotten branch of the Evans clan," She eyed both of them, "You both will have much to do in order to gain a true place amongst us. Your fates will be determined by your actions, so may the mother above us gift you kindly for you'll need all the help you can get," Sunny shook her head before beaming at them, "It's nice to meet you both!"

Jasmine glanced at Edric and found him frowning at Sunny. Sunny drifted off to go greet the other 'Fledglings' that had just started to arrive. Feeling slightly concerned, Jasmine asked, "What's wrong?"

"I've heard about Sunny before," Edric answered after a few moments, "She has a minor gift for prophecy. The only thing I know about how it works is that when she's frowning, her words come true," Edric looked at her, "Just who are you, exactly?"

"I would prefer to leave that part of myself in the past for as long as possible," Jasmine told the boy.

Edric didn't press her as they both turned to watch the members of their Flight approach.

* * *

An hour after everyone had managed to arrive underneath the eye-searing orange seven, they all found themselves being led into a large room filled with bunk beds with trunks on the ends of the beds, a single bathroom with a wall of shower stalls, and two fire places that were currently not in use. Sunny spoke as the thirteen newly winged teens eyed the place, "Welcome to the seventh Flight barracks. You all will be staying here until you managed to get into a division."

"Wait how come we're all sharing?" A girl with dirty blonde hair and soft brown wings edged with green asked, "Boys and girls shouldn't share. It's not-"

"You won't care about propriety soon enough, Kid," Kaze appeared out of now where earning multiple screams and curses of shock, "In the future, you won't give a shit if your shower buddies are male seeing as you'll likely be covered in demon goo and guts. You'll be too fucking tired to really care about anything other than getting cleaned up and falling asleep in your bed,"

"Still-" The girl continued only to yelp as she was pinned to the wall by Kaze.

Jasmine winced at the sight of Kaze gripping the girl's throat and reached up to rub her own in sympathy. Kaze often did things like that when she got tired of Jasmine complaining. Jasmine hadn't complained often, but the first time she ended up in that position had made her realize that Kaze wouldn't suffer complaints. Kaze grinned savagely at the girl, "Do not even think of complaining, Little shit head. If you continue to complain, I will pluck a feather for every second you waste time. Is that understood?"

The girl swallowed and whispered, "Y-yes."

"Good," Kaze dropped the girl and moved back to her former place, "For those not in the know, I am Lilith adviser to Lady Artemis. As a favor to her, I am acting as one of the commanders for this Flight. The other in charge of you little shit stains is currently on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow though you will not see him until a few days after that. In light of that, Sunny and I will be going through you all to see what you know so that we won't waste any time as you will be going to High Arch. Today, we will be showing you to the places that you're cleared to go to. Once that's done, you all will be given the rest of the day to get to know one another. Any questions?" Everyone stayed silent, "Good. Let's get going,"

* * *

Jasmine pulled the jar of bruise cream out of her trunk and moved towards the girl from early. The hand shaped bruised on the girls pale skin made Jasmine internally wince. The girl looked at her in surprise as Jasmine approached after dinner. Jasmine offered her a weak smile and held out the jar, "My names Eos and I know how you felt when Lilith," And wasn't that a shock to learn what Kaze's Hunter name was, "Does that. She's done it to me a few times, so I know how much this stuff can help."

"I'm Gaia," The girl's soft topaz eyes were warm as she took the small jar from Jasmine, "Thank you. How come you know what it feels like?"

Jasmine fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves, "Lilith was my primary teacher when I was brought here."

"You're the one that everyone's been talking about?" The girl froze with the jar halfway open in her hand.

"Y-yeah," Jasmine flinched slightly at the wide eyed look she was being given, "I-"

"What's it like?" The girl asked while carefully applying the salve, "The world outside of Windseeker?"

Jasmine found herself sitting down and speaking about England with Edric wandering over soon after.

* * *

The skills assessment was brutal and left everyone in the infirmary. Jasmine was lucky to only have a sprained wrist and some type of fractured bone in her other arm alongside numerous bruises. Edric managed to avoid a majority of the damage that Kaze had afflicted upon them all during the 'sparing' match that she'd forced upon everyone. He still had a broken nose though. Out of them all, Gaia seemed to suffer the worst what with Kaze using the girl to show them all just how much it hurt to have their wings injured. Jasmine internally flinched as she recalled the shrill scream that had left the topaz eyed girl and how her body had twisted around until someone had pitied her enough to knock the girl out. Jasmine almost flinched as a deceptively delicate hand touched her shoulder. Kaze grimaced at the wince as Brigid shook her head with a low sigh, "I probably shouldn't have done that."

"Not to that degree," Brigid corrected in a slightly disappointed tone as they sat together for dinner, "You should have done something minor. Now Fledgling Gaia will need to spend at least a week if not more in the infirmary to heal from the damage," Brigid looked at Jasmine and asked, "Do you like everything, cousin?"

"It is interesting," Jasmine answered after a few moments and carefully picked up her tea, "I think I have two new friends,"

"Have you met Edric yet?" Brigid asked earning a surprised nod from Jasmine, "Good, I was hoping that I'd be able to include him in these. You both could become friends-"

"He's my new friend," Jasmine cut her off earning a surprise and happy smile from Brigid, "I am unsure if I am friends with the other person,"

"May I ask who?" Brigid looked like she was about to burst while Kaze snorted softly.

Jasmine glanced towards Kaze and the purple haired woman's eyes widen. Kaze let out a groan, "Of course, you chose to befriend that complaining brat."

Brigid let out a soft gasp, "Fledgling Gaia is your other new friend?"

"Possible friend," Jasmine corrected her before moving the conversation to a diffrent topic, "When will we be doing these dinner things?"

"Three times a week unless things come up or we have time for more," Brigid smiled warmly at her, "I'm not about to give up getting to know my newest cousin and spending time with you is enjoyable. We won't get to do this while your at High Arch,"

Jasmine found herself flushing a bit and muttered, "I like it too."

* * *

In the weeks leading up to the day that they would depart for High Arch, Jasmine found herself falling into a routine. Wake up an hour before dawn for morning warm ups, take a quick shower, eat a good breakfast, learn to fight with her wings, sparing with other members of her Flight, eat lunch after getting cleaned up, learn Hunter history, learn about demons, survival lessons, learn how to focus her magic, eat dinner, spend an hour studying bits of magic, spend an hour meditating, and socialize with her Flight members unless too tired to do so. Jasmine found herself getting closer to Edric and Gaia which turned out to be a godsend. Edric was a good healer and happily practiced his healing on them. Gaia turned out to be a budding curse breaker and potions mistress. With their help, Jasmine learned more about what it meant to be a Hunter while also helping them learn about the outside world and the creatures that she knew about. When it came to learning about demons and their survival lessons, Jasmine found herself easily understanding and remembering the information they were being given. Jasmine was forced out of her thoughts by Gaia speaking from the bunch under hers, "What do you think this practical lesson will be like?"

"Seeing as we were told to have the weapons that we've been learning to fight with, I believe that we are going to have our first practical lesson on demons," Edric answered from the bunk beside hers as he pulled the trident he'd been using from the alcove above his pillow.

Jasmine grabbed her razor wire, gloves, and throwing knives from her alcove, "It'll be interesting."

"Are you only going to be bringing those?" Edric asked with a frown.

Jasmine glanced at him before sighing and pulling out the short swords Kaze had given her. While she didn't mind wielding them, Jasmine was far more comfortable with her wires and throwing knives. The gloves were merely there to prevent Jasmine from cutting her hands on the razor sharp wire. Jasmine jumped down from her bed and quickly pulled everything on. Gaia stood up with a bow and quiver slung across her back before pulling out a similar pair of short swords. Much like herself, Gaia didn't like fighting with her short swords. Jasmine let out a soft sigh, "I don't even know why we have to use them."

"You need a close range weapon," Edric answered with a light sigh, "Plus, it's what most Hunters use. Unless you pick a specialized close range weapon, you'll be stuck with those,"

Jasmine scowled at him though she knew he was right. No Hunter was allowed to go without both a close range and a long range weapon to ensure that they had most of their bases covered when in a fight. Jasmine disliked the swords with a passion as they felt wrong to her. None of the weapons that the Hunters had stocked in the Flight armory felt right to her and Jasmine wouldn't get a chance to see the other armories until she managed to get into a division. It was annoying as Jasmine had the distinct feeling that there was a weapon she should be using, but didn't know what. The same thing had happened with her razor wire and gloves only they felt almost right. Brigid had remarked that everyone had weapons that called to them though most were drawn to the standard weapons that were available.

Gaia spoke as Edric jumped down, "I don't like them either. I'm not even good at using them. They're too clunky."

"Maybe you should try a rapier out," Jasmine suggested as they moved towards the doorway where a few others were milling about, "They seem like the type of sword you'd be able to use,"

"Maybe," Gaia hummed softly with a considering look on her face.

Kaze strode into the room and nearly shouted, "Alright you brats! Time's up, we got to go!"

* * *

They gathered in the arena and Jasmine was surprised to see Lykos standing there with a few others. Gaia let out a sharp gasp, "That's Master Gabriel Lykos, Mistress Corrin Blake, Master Orion Sultan, and Mistress Louise Drance. What are they doing here?"

"More than likely to see if any of us are worth teaching," Edric answered as whispers broke out among the other members of their Flight.

Jasmine's eyes met Lykos' and he smirked at her. He turned to the woman next to him and spoke to her. In seconds, Jasmine saw that all four of the High Arch teachers were staring at her with curiosity. Jasmine swallowed as Gaia asked, "Why are they looking at you?"

"I do not know," Jasmine spoke slowly while noticing that the other members of her Flight were looking at her for answers as well, "I only know Lykos,"

One of the other members of their Flight, a boy with reddish pink hair and wings named Lazar, commented, "Looks like you might be boned, I heard that anyone that get's Lykos' attention is either a future conquest of his or dead."

"I'd be dead already if he wanted to kill me," Jasmine retorted with a snort, "As for the future conquest part, I think I'll pass. He isn't my type,"

Jasmine noticed that Lykos seemed to snort at the boys words before staring at her with surprise on his face. Jasmine realized that he could probably hear them and made a mental note to see if all vampires were the same. Everyone's attention was brought to the front as their final Flight commander barked out, "Get your lazy asses into lines and shut the hell up!"

As they scrambled to do as ordered, Jasmine looked at their Flight commander. James Leon was a hard ass with close cropped black hair and obsidian eyes. He had almost orange colored skin and fur covered wings like Edric's. James' wings were a dark gunmetal grey color with a few jagged silver markings. The man's face looked like someone had taken a cheese grater to it along with the other visible skin on his body. Jasmine had originally been a bit scared of him, but it faded rather quickly upon realizing that the Hunter was much like 'Mad-eye' Moody. He wanted them to do their best, but didn't want to get close to any of them just encase someone died. As a result, Jasmine spent time going to the elder Hunter and asking for extra lessons. It was him that had suggested that she try using razor wire and taught her the basics of it. As they settled into their lines, Edric muttered behind her, "This will be a _fun_ lessons."

"Can't get any worse than Kaze's rainy day lessons," Jasmine replied under her breath.

Kaze had a fondness for throwing them all into the training yard while it was raining it's ass off. She wouldn't let anyone inside until they managed to complete a long list of tasks which left everyone completely covered in mud and thoroughly exhausted. The fact that it rained at least twice a week told Jasmine that Kaze was somehow messing with the weather just to be able to do that lesson. Jasmine wouldn't put it past the purple haired woman and knew that Brigid allowed it simply because she thought it was amusing. Of course, Jasmine had called them both out on it only to receive innocent looks and denials. Since she had spent five years with the Weasley twins not to mention the two she'd known Sirius-damn it still hurt to think about him-, Jasmine knew immediatly that they were lying. Edric swore behind her and muttered, "I still haven't managed to get the mud out of my ear."

"I think I still have mud somewhere on my wings, but don't know where," Gaia groaned beside her and Jasmine winced.

Mud was a bitch to get out of feathers which was something everyone had been quick to realize after their first rainy day lesson. Jasmine was glad that her feathers being the color they were made it easy to find any mud. Of course, she missed some spots, but was able to get rid of the mud once it dried. Before the conversation could continue, James spoke with a scathing glare towards everyone, "Today, you all shall be facing your first demon. As this is your first encounter, the demon will be a E-class insect. You will be allowed to work together, but do not expect any help from us," He jerked a hand towards where Lykos was standing with Kaze and Sunny joining the group of four, "We will merely be observing. If it becomes clear you cannot handle this, we will jump in, but only if it seems like you'll die other wise. Any questions?" The look on his face and his glare dissuaded anyone from replying to that question, "Good," He turned around and boomed, "Release it!"

Without another word, James took off and left them alone. Across the room, one of the thick metal doors that Jasmine hadn't noticed on her first trip to the arena let out a groan before it began to open. A shriek echoed through the air and Jasmine swallowed thickly. Turning to the members of her Flight, Jasmine quickly suggested, "Let's spread out into teams of three with one team of four."

"The usual groups?" Lazar asked earning a nod from Jasmine.

"What would you suggest we do after that?" A girl by the name of Lupa asked.

She had bright golden eyes and spiky grey hair that fell to her waist in a thick braid. She had bright white wings marred by multiple black and grey streaks. Much as her Hunter name would suggest, the girl was much like a wolf. Jasmine glanced at her as everyone got into their groups, "One member of each team keep back when it appears while the others work to distract it. They'll be attempting to find the weak point while fighting the beast from a distance. Once you find the weak point, you need to shout it out. We'll disengage while those that are good with defensive magics keep the thing at bay. Once we do that, we'll figure out a plan and kill the thing. Everyone okay with that?" Nods were given, "Let's go!"

Jasmine headed off with Edric and Gaia at her back. When they found a position to settle in, Edric asked, "What demon do you think it'll be?"

"Insect demons aren't usually Emotion based demons," Jasmine replied while keeping an eye on the slowly rising door, "More than likely, we'll be dealing with a minor elemental, but I could be wrong. Based on the shriek, I believe we'll be faced with either a Spider or something similar,"

When the door finally opened, the demon darted out with a roaring shriek. Jasmine took in the Mantis shape it took and the glittering metal like liquid that dripped from it's front legs. It was larger than the horntail she'd faced during the first task and looked a lot uglier. Gaia let out a curse and muttered, "Poison type."

"Joy," Jasmine got her razor wire ready and looked at Edric, "This will likely be worse than Kaze's rainy day lessons,"

"Agreed," Edric muttered softly.

Jasmine's mind began to buzz slightly as the demon seemed to observe the Hunters currently surrounding it. It was like something was whispering in the back of her mind. As the demon darted towards the group closest to it, Jasmine took off towards it with Edric at her side. As they approached the demon, Jasmine's blood seemed to sing. It was almost as if some bestial part of her had awakened as she began to dart under it's legs and tangle her razor wire around them. The thought of bringing the beast down and killing it made her heart beat faster as the thrum inside her veins seemed to grow louder.

* * *

Lykos looked over the group and snorted, "They fall so easily inline with her."

"The brat's a good leader in situations like this," Kaze replied from her place leaning against the railings, "She might become a division leader one day,"

"If she managed to survive not only the extraction, Voldemort, and High Arch," A woman with bright silver eyes and golden hair replied.

A lions tail swished behind her as the pair of lion ears on her head twitched. Lykos smirked at her, "I believe that she will, Louise. She's stronger than she looks."

"Considering what she's managed to survive so far, I am not surprise," No one commented on the bitter note in Kaze's voice.

Lykos eyed the purple haired woman carefully. She was still affected by her view of Jasmine's memories even if weeks had passed since she saw them. Lykos was slightly surprised by how attached both Kaze and Brigid were becoming to the little witch though given who they were, it wasn't truly surprising. With a low mental sigh, Lykos peered at the black and purple haired figure darting around the demon's legs, _'Just who else will you charm upon entering High Arch, Little one?'_

 **I repeat:**

 **I am so sorry for what happened.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice: Minor corrections that were pointed out to me.**

* * *

Chapter Five

* * *

They had been fighting the demon for over thirty minutes before someone finally shouted, "It's weak spot is the crest on it's head!"

"Withdraw! Defensive magic, now!" Jasmine shouted over the shrieks of the demon before getting out from under it.

She ran over to the group that was gathering near one of the walls as the defensive group worked to keep the beast at bay. Jasmine slid to a stop as she looked over everyone. They all looked tired, but it seemed that no one managed to get cut by the demon's poisonous claws. Taking a deep breath to regain her breath, she looked at the four that had been looking for weaknesses. A girl with bright red hair and jade green eyes stepped forward. She had soft cream colored wings with red highlights and looked like a good breeze could send her flying. Regardless, she was a fast little shit and had amazing aim with her bow, "I managed to hit the crest on it's head and the blow seemed to stun it. Unfortunately, the distance plus it hard exoskeleton prevented my arrow from doing damage."

Jasmine inclined her head before asking, "Anyone have suggestions?"

"We need to get it to fall down, so that those of us with heavier weapons can pierce through it's exoskeleton," One of the other members of her Flight suggested.

"Even if we get it down, we'll need to worry about it's poison," Edric pointed out.

Jasmine closed her eyes to think for a few moments before saying, "If we use the charm that creates ropes and my wire, we can bring the damn thing down. Those that are good at fire spells can light it's poison on fire, they'll be able to distract it the best."

"Good plan, but what happens once the poison becomes airborne?" Lupa asked with a slight scowl.

"The bubble head charm," Gaia said with a slight grin, "It'll keep the poison out,"

"No said that we had to use it for it's original purpose," Jasmine pointed out with a slight grin, "I guess that's one of the reasons Sunny taught it to us," Everyone nodded upon hearing that, "Those of you that are fast will follow me, we'll be the ones tripping the damn thing. Those of you good at fire elemental spells, you'll be distracting it though don't just use fire spells. Even if they'll work the best, you should try to see if its vulnerable to other elements. Those of you with heavier weapons, you get ready to move in on it. Our defenders will be told of what's going on and figure out where they'll do best," Jasmine offered them all a grin, "We can do this and guys, be careful. None of us need a stay in the infirmary for doing stupid things.

Everyone let out laughs and broke up with Jasmine getting four of her fellow Flight members following her. They worked quickly to get under the damn thing with their and started their part of the plan. As fire spells rained down on the thing, the temperature under the demon increased leaving Jasmine sweating heavily as she worked on the getting it's legs tied up. Once everyone had finished, they took off towards where everyone else was.

With a loud shriek, the demon tripped and fell to the ground with a loud boom. Jasmine and the other's worked to keep it down while the heavy weapon team worked on breaking it's exoskeleton. The demon proved to be a stubborn bastard and made keeping it on the ground hard. By the time it's crest was cracked and they were killing it, Jasmine had suffered multiple bruises and a rather deep slash along her left arm which burned slightly. When the demon let out a dying screech, they began to cheer only to scream as it exploded and showered them with it's insides.

* * *

Lykos grimaced at the scent of the demon guts, "This is one of the reasons I avoid insect demons like the plague, they always manage to explode."

"Agreed," Louise covered her nose with a billowing sleeve, "I do not know how they deal with it,"

"By the time you reach your first year as a Hunter, you learn how to dampen your sense of smell," Kaze informed the two with a cheerful grin.

A snort echoed from James making them turn their attention to the man, "If you're finished, how do you think they've done?"

Louise grimaced slightly, "They need work, but it is highly likely they'll manage to make it to High Arch unlike some of the Fledglings."

James grunted and left to go speak with his Flight. Kaze followed after the man with a single glance directed towards Lykos and Sunny followed after the other two. Lykos glanced at his fellow teachers and said, "I'm looking forward to this school year."

"Of course you are," Louise rolled her eyes alongside the other two teachers, "You love chaos and that brat will cause it,"

Lykos merely grinned at Louise in reply as they left the arena to go find Brigid.

* * *

Jasmine gagged as she attempted to get all the demon guts off of her, "Have I mentioned that I hate insect demons?"

"Twice since we killed the damn thing," Edric grunted as he picked off a rather stubborn piece of organ from his right wing.

Gaia dropped yet another piece of the slimy organs into one of the nearby buckets, "They could have warned us about that."

"I think they didn't just because they wanted us to suffer," Someone shouted from under one of the shower heads.

Jasmine just felt lucky that a good portion of the stuff covering her missed most of her wings. The bad thing was the her entire front was covered in insect goo and organs. She was just glad that she'd had her mouth closed when the thing exploded unlike the ones currently puking their guts out. She reaching out and plucked a piece of exoskeleton from Gaia's cheek as the girl complained, "I think this stuff is making my skin numb."

"Probably the poison," Jasmine glanced at the cut on her own arm and grimaced as she ran a clean wash clothe carefully over the wound.

* * *

Jasmine was starving by the time she finished getting as clean as possible and dried off. When she left the showers, Kaze was standing there. The purple haired Hunter grimaced, "Demon guts are a bitch to get out."

"I just figured that out," Jasmine looked at her curiously, "What's going on?"

"I came to get you," Kaze answered while beginning to walk with Jasmine following after her, "You're going to eat while we explain what's going to happen,"

"And what is going to happen?" They left the barracks and started down the increasingly familiar corridor.

Kaze glanced at her before sighing, "Something that should have been done years ago, but apparently someone thought it wouldn't be needed. Though given your country of origin, I doubt they would have done anything anyway what with their stance on most magic."

Jasmine looked at her in confusion, but didn't ask anything more as she knew that the answers would be coming soon enough.

* * *

Upon entering the room, Jasmine found Lykos standing in front of her and grabbing her left arm. She hissed as his fingers touched the cut on her arm and caused it to start bleeding once more. He peered at it as Kaze gasped, "The demon?"

"Yes though she's lucky that the poison is a slow acting and a slow moving one," Lykos brought her arm up to his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Jasmine attempted to get out of his grip only for the vampire to hold her still.

Lykos barely spared her a glance as he moved closer to the cut, "Demonic poison is always fatal unless taken care of in a quick manner. If not from the poison itself, you would die from infections caused by your wound never closing. Luck for you, I'm willing to get rid of the poison as vampires are immune to it."

Before Jasmine could say anything, Lykos began to drag his tongue across the open skin of her cut. She let out a soft gasp and shuddered at the unfamiliar feeling as a blush began to stain her cheeks. Jasmine squirmed slightly as the warm appendage worked its way across her wound and dipped inside of it. Instead of hurting, Jasmine found that it actually felt kind of nice. To her shock, the wound slowly stitched itself together leaving only a thing red line. When it finished stitching itself together, Lykos let go of her and Jasmine let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. He smirked at her before moving to the side as Brigid said, "She needs to eat and I'm sure you're all hungry as well."

* * *

Jasmine shifted slightly in her place between Kaze and Lykos as she noticed the eyes on her. Brigid cleared her throat to disrupt the silence, "As it stands, we need to discuss what will happen now," Brigid looked at Jasmine, "It is time for you to know about something that has been kept from you for a very long time."

"What do you mean?" Jasmine put down her fork with a frown, "I'm not really following,"

Brigid sighed deeply and seemed far older in that moment than Jasmine had ever seen her, "There are few magics that are considered taboo by all beings and thus outlawed, I don't think I need to explain that," Jasmine nodded as she'd saw a few mentions of it in her books and Sunny had mentioned it a few times though never said what, "Tom Riddle, Voldemort as you probably know him," Jasmine's eyes widened as she caught on, "Somehow managed to find some knowledge on one of them. From what we've managed to discover, the books containing the knowledge managed to survive the mass cleansing that had been done by nature of being hidden within Hogwarts and thus out of reach."

Jasmine had a feeling she knew where this was going and really didn't like it, "That knowledge, it's the reason he didn't die that night. Isn't it?"

Brigid had a grim look on her face as she inclined her head, "Indeed."

"The bastard," The only man other than Lykos finally spoke for the first time revealing his Australian accent, "Used a form of soul magic deemed so illegal that all knowledge of it had been stripped from this world. Or, so we thought,"

He had bright green hair and orangish yellow eyes that glowed faintly in the light. The man's skin was a deep purple color and looked like it was covered in runes. He had pointed ears and what looked like fur sticking out of them. He wore a dark grey robe with light gold accents and a single simple gold band on his wrist. Lykos patted the man on the back, "Easy Orion, we'll get the books even if we have to rip Hogwarts open."

Jasmine shook her head lightly and offered, "If the books are still there, it's likely that Dumbledore has them hidden within his office. I think he keeps any really dangerous books. If they aren't there, Dumbledore likely put them somewhere else."

"Looks like I'll be speaking with the bearded bastard soon enough," Orion grinned revealing sharp fangs.

"Ori, your blood lust is showing," The other woman, Corrin, teased with a soft laugh.

She looked relatively normal save for her cloudy purple eyes and slightly too pale skin. They were mostly covered with her soft looking black hair. Corrin wore a t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts with tennis shoes. As a result, she was the most normal out of the group. As Corrin grabbed a piece of bread from the basket, Jasmine realized that the woman was blind. Almost immediatly after that realization hit her, Jasmine found Corrin looking at her and smirking. Jasmine swallowed as she also realized that the woman was a mind reader. Lykos spoke up from beside her, "Corrin's blind, but a very talented mind reader that uses other's to see the world."

"Enough," Louise growled softly, "We do not have time to act like this. Tell her already, Lady Artemis,"

Brigid sighed deeply once more, "As always, you're right my dear kitten," Brigid turned to Jasmine, "Tom Riddle created what is known as a Horcrux. A Horcrux is a piece of your soul. To create one, you use a rather evil ritual before killing someone. After that is done, you only need to place it either in an object or a living purpose."

Jasmine suddenly felt sick as her hand when to the scar on her forehead as she realized the implications. Kaze laid a hand on her shoulder and murmured, "You were an accidental one which means we can easily get rid of it as the soul piece won't have many, if any, protections on it. Of course, the extraction process is a bit dangerous, but with how you are, we believe that you'll survive."

Jasmine pushed away from her plate as she struggled to come to terms with what she'd just been told. It made sense in a sick sort of way. How else would she have any connection to the man that murdered her parents when she was an infant? It also made sense why Dumbledore fully expected her to go against Voldemort. After all, she had a piece of the bastard's soul inside of her. The old man probably thought that the only way to get rid of the damn thing was for Jasmine to die. Suddenly, Dumbledore's every action towards her made sense. Yet, Jasmine found herself unable to be angry at the old man. Even if she hadn't truly known, Jasmine had suspected that the whole reason for his inaction towards her relatives and his actions during the school year were for a reason. Now that she knew, Jasmine simply couldn't bring herself to hate the old man.

A hand touching her cheek jarred Jasmine from her thoughts and she looked to see Brigid kneeling in front of her. Brigid withdrew her hand and Jasmine was shocked to see them wet. Reaching up, Jasmine felt her cheek and realized that she'd been crying. Brigid looked at her sadly though knowingly with understanding shining through her eyes. Jasmine's throat constricted and she swallowed heavily. Brigid stood up slowly and wrapped her arms around Jasmine while whispering, "Let it out, Cousin. No one will judge you here. Let it all out."

A sob tore itself from Jasmine's throat and she buried her face in Brigid's throat as she finally began to let go. All of the anger, the sadness, the grief, and every other emotion left her as she held onto Brigid. She cried for the parents that she'd never gotten to know and for the Godfather who'd been a father to her. She cried for every time the Dursley's beat her due to being unable to control her accidental magic and being a witch. She cried for every time the wizarding world and Hogwarts had hurt her deeply with their uncaring ways. She cried for the friends she'd abandoned by leaving. She cried for Cedric and every other person that had died because of Voldemort. And finally, she cried for the unnecessary pain she'd gone through because of Dumbledore's ideals and his blindness.

* * *

When Jasmine managed to calm down and stop crying, they once again began to eat. Lykos began to explain the extraction process, "Once we finish eating, we'll head down to the chamber we're going to use for the process. Due to how it's set up, you'll be removing your clothing so that we can place the proper runes onto your body. After that, you'll be given a potion and we'll begin the extraction process."

"Simple," Jasmine commented earning a low chuckle from Lykos.

"Simple for you, but it'll be difficult for us as soul magic isn't easy," Lykos informed her with a slight grin, "The only thing you'll have to worry about is being in pain and focusing on living while we pull the parasite from you,"

Jasmine nodded while hoping it wouldn't be as painful as getting her wings. Though with her luck, it would probably be worse. Jasmine wasn't looking forward to the pain, but decided to look towards the future. This was one step closer to killing Voldemort, she just had to focus on that.

* * *

The chamber that the extraction would be done in was shaped like a pentagram. Runes layered the ground and walls while giving off the faintest hint of magic making the room smell of ozone. The entire room was flat save for a single raised platform that held five stone basins. The only light in the room came from the glowing crystals above that gave off an unearthly purple light. Jasmine shivered slightly as she took off her clothing, but not due to the cold. No, it was like she was being judged by something on a soul deep level. Lykos and Orion moved deeper into the room while Louise began drawing runes onto Jasmine's skin with what looked like dark purple paint that caused her skin to burn slightly. Corrin held the bowl that Louise was using and commented, "Feels like somethings judging you, huh?"

"Yeah," Jasmine tried not to squirm as Louise drew runes on her stomach and across the faint scars that rested in various places on her body.

"That's a normal reaction," Corrin informed her with a light smile, "Ritual rooms like this often have a guardian formed from the vast amounts of magic used within them. Of course, the guardians only form after the first two to three hundred years of use,"

Jasmine stilled before looking at Corrin in surprise, "How old is this one?"

"Five thousand years give or take a few centuries," Corrin bent down so that Louise had an easier time reaching the bowl and Jasmine tried not to shy away from them, "Most of the rooms in the Den are either that old or older,"

"Quit squirming," Louise snapped at Jasmine making the black and purple haired girl flinch slightly.

Corrin shook her head as they both stood up and moved behind Jasmine making the Fledgling Hunter freeze. Louise let out a soft sound of surprise as Corrin sighed deeply, "You have not had an easy life, have you?"

Jasmine flushed slightly as shame filled her. Even if she'd grown to accept the scars left by the Dursleys, it didn't mean she was proud of them nor that they no longer caused shame to course through her veins. They were the signs that her closest blood relatives never saw her as one of them nor cared for her existence. They were signs of her servitude towards them which made Jasmine feel sick even thinking about it. Jasmine swallowed heavily and whispered, "Please just hurry up."

As soon as Louise was done, Lykos came over and brought her to the center of the room. In the middle of the basins, Jasmine felt her breath catch as she noticed that each was filled with darkly colored liquid that gave off the scent of blood. It made her stomach turn slightly, but she said nothing as the four High Arch teachers plus Brigid took places at the five points in the room. Kaze was no where to be seen, but Brigid had explained that the purple haired Hunter couldn't work ritualized magic due to an accident in their youth. Instead of helping with the ritual, Kaze was setting things up for when the extraction was done and ensuring that her Flight members understood that she would be unavailable for a few days due to medical reasons. It would be up to Jasmine to decide what to tell them though she didn't have a clue about what to tell them.

Lykos cleared his throat and looked at his fellows, "Let us begin," Everyone nodded as he turned back to Jasmine and smirked, "Good luck," He took a deep breath before intoning, "Father fire, your son calls upon you to give your aid."

"Mother water, your daughter calls upon you to give your aid," Corrin intoned.

"Father Wind, your son calls upon you to give your aid," Orion intoned softly.

"Mother Earth, your daughter calls upon you to give your aid," Louise intoned.

"Mother soul, your daughter calls upon you to give your aid," Brigid intoned and Jasmine watched in shock as the basins erupted.

A ball of fire sat over the basin in front of Lykos. A swirling ball of water sat over the basin in front of Corrin. A condensed ball of wind hovered over the basin in front of Orion. A jagged piece of earth hovered over the basin in front of Louise. A ball of purplish pink light swirled over the basin in front of Brigid. A faint humming seemed to fill the air as powerful presences seemed to burst into life. Jasmine watched as each element took on the visage of a man or a woman that peered at her with varying expressions. Fire looked at her with a passionate, yet rage filled stare. Water looked at her with a serene stare that switched to a stormy one moments later. Wind looked at her with a silent serenity. Earth looked at her with a kind stare. Soul looked at her curiously with an eagerness in her eyes that reminded Jasmine of a puppy.

When Lykos spoke once more, it was in a language that Jasmine didn't know. It was rough, yet melodic with a harsh undertone that made her ears ache. The breath in her chest stilled as the other's began to speak it as well with varying tones. A warm feeling seemed to build over Jasmine's body starting from her toes and top of her head to her heart. A pulse began to echo through her body in time with her heart and Jasmine felt her body begin to relax. As the pulsing continued, Jasmine began to notice that the area behind her eyes began to ache slightly. It was easy to ignore in favor of the burning feeling that began to build in her scar. It felt much like when Voldemort was angry for whatever reason only without the stabbing pain.

Before Jasmine could really take that in, she felt a piercing pain in her chest and quickly raised a hand to cover her heart. It felt like someone was stabbing her chest with a blunt butter knife that had been heated over a blazing hot fire. The pain got worse by the second as the runes on her body began to burn and pulse. A faint screaming sound echoed through her mind as a soft voice spoke, "Remember why you wish to life. If you do not, death will take you."

Jasmine closed her eyes and swallowed as she forced herself to breath correctly. Jasmine wanted to live so that she could be free. She wanted to live and be able to see the people she left behind in England once more. She wanted to live and meet more friends. She wanted to live to become a good Hunter and continue to fight demons. She had to live if only to get to know Edric and Gaia better. She wanted to spend more time with her cousin and Kaze. She wanted to go to High Arch and become stronger. She wanted to know what it felt like to fly on her own two wings. She wanted to find someone to love and that loved her back. She wanted to kill Voldemort and have a chance to speak with everyone she knew. She had to live to be able to do those things, so she wouldn't be dying here. It wasn't her time to die yet and until that day came, she would fight.

Jasmine felt as much as she heard the loud snapping sound that echoed through the room as her magic roared through her veins. A scream tore through the air as Jasmine's vision went grey. When it cleared away, Jasmine felt something warm covering her as someone held her in their arms. They were walking and their smooth gate almost lulled Jasmine into sleep, but she forced herself to stay awake, "W-what happened?"

"The parasite was removed," Lykos' familiar voice sounded from above her head and she weakly looked up to find that he was the one carrying her, "It was apparently holding back the full potential of your magic in order to feed off the potent energy. As a result, your finally free magic burst out and you passed out for a little while. I'm taking you up to Brigid's room while everyone else works on getting the ritual room cleaned up,"

"What do you mean?" Jasmine felt really light headed.

"Your magic caused a bit of damage to the ritual room and managed to knock over the basins," Lykos glanced down at her as Jasmine's eyes widen, "You're quite the little power house if you manage to do something like that. It is reversible, so no worries," Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief and laid her head back down, "Go back to sleep, you'll need all the rest you can get since your Entrance Exam is next week,"

Jasmine wanted to comment, but sleep felt far more important at the moment. She could deal with things once she woke up again.

* * *

When Jasmine fully woke up, it was to a pounding headache and her body feeling as if a dragon had decided to sit on her. She let out a soft groan and heard a relieved sigh seconds before she was pushed into a sitting position. A glass was pushed against her lips and she opened her mouth only to gag at the taste of whatever was inside. She knew better than to try and refuse to drink it, so drank the nasty potion as quickly as possible. When she finished, the glass was removed and replaced only this time with water. She drank that slower than the potion and once it was gone, Jasmine opened her eyes to find Brigid sitting beside her, "Brigid?"

"Cousin," Brigid smiled with relief clear in her eyes, "You had me somewhat worried when you didn't wake up after the first day,"

"How long was I out?" Jasmine asked earning a soft laugh.

"Two days, but you haven't missed much," Brigid assured her before surprising Jasmine with a warm hug that the teen was slow to return, "I am glad you managed to survive, Cousin. I've lost so much family already that I don't wish to lose anyone else. Thank you for surviving,"

Jasmine blinked slightly upon hearing that before asking, "Brigid, how old are you?"

Brigid let out a soft laugh and released Jasmine, "You do know that it isn't polite to ask a lady about her age, right?"

Jasmine flushed slightly, but held firm, "Yes, but so many things aren't adding up."

Brigid sighed softly and looked at Jasmine with careful eyes before saying, "Kaze and I are over two hundred years old."

"W-what?!" Jasmine stared at her with wide eyes and Brigid shook her head with amusement, "You have to be kidding!"

"Nope," Brigid stood up and moved away from the large bed that Jasmine had been sleeping on, "We may look young, but we are not,"

"H-how?" Jasmine mind was having trouble comprehending that her cousin was over two centuries.

Brigid moved towards one of the tables in the room and Jasmine belatedly realized that this was Brigid's bedroom. A part of her wondered why Brigid hadn't just put her in the infirmary, but she was more focused on what was going on. Brigid poured herself a glass of blue liquid before turning back to Jasmine, "When you take creature magic and find the creature that resonates so deeply with your soul, you will begin to take on their characteristics. The creature that resonates with my soul and the creature that resonates with Kaze's soul are very long lived. Add that to the natural Hunter life span and you can live for centuries before starting to get old. Even then, Kaze and I do not know if that will hold true to us due to just what our creatures are. To put it plainly, Kaze and I are very much like vampires save for needing blood to survive."

"And what are you guys exactly?" Jasmine asked feeling anxious for some reason.

Brigid smiled slightly before saying, "My soul resonates with the phoenix while Kaze's resonates with kitsunes."

Somehow, everything that Jasmine had ever wondered about her cousin made sense now, yet also left her with more questions. It was confusing and Jasmine kind of wanted to rip her hair out, but she just pushed it all back. For now, Jasmine would ask a question that she'd wanted to since first meeting Brigid, "Why do you hide your wings?"

Brigid let out a soft laugh, "My wings have taken on the characteristics of my phoenix form, so they are quite eye catching. After having to deal with people staring at my wings and not paying attention to what I have to say, I started to hide them unless I needed them. I've gotten used to not having them out while around everyone save for Kaze, Gabriel, Lena, and Zane," Brigid paused before asking, "Do you wish to see them, Cousin?"

Jasmine nodded with an eager smile and Brigid let out a soft laugh before closing her eyes. The moment Brigid's wings came into view, Jasmine understood exactly why people would stare at them. They were far more beautiful and unique than any other wings that Jasmine had seen during her time here. Brigid's outer feathers where a light almost white blue color that slowly deepened until it was almost black near where her wings connected to her back. Swirling around Brigid's wings were soft purples, sea greens, and soft coral pinks. They looked like waves and Jasmine was reminded of the ocean. The thing that really look Jasmine's breath away was the faint dusting of frost that seemed to coat Brigid's feathers near the tips. Every time Brigid's wings shifted, the frost broke off to create a faint dusting of snow on the ground. Jasmine's hand twitched to touch the wings, but she held back the urge as she murmured, "Beautiful."

"Thank you, Cousin," Brigid looked at Jasmine in amusement, "You wish to touch them, don't you?"

"Can you blame me?" Jasmine shot back at Brigid after managing to tear her eyes away, "What type of phoenix causes that effect? I thought they were beings of fire,"

"There are many types of phoenix out there, Cousin," Brigid informed Jasmine after taking a sip of her drink, "As for the type of phoenix, my inner creature is that of a northern ice phoenix. They look much like the aurora borealis. Unfortunately, they aren't seen very often due to their tendency to only come out when the aurora borealis is in the sky,"

Jasmine took in that information slowly before muttering, "I really need to read up on creatures."

"That would be wise if you're truly looking to take creature magic," Brigid smiled at her, "It will be an impossible class if you don't,"

Somehow, Jasmine got the feeling that Brigid's words would be prophetic and decided to up her study into creatures.

* * *

Almost immediatly upon her return to the Flight barracks, Jasmine found herself surrounded by her Flight members. Each of them looked at her with some degree of worry which somewhat surprised her though she knew that it shouldn't. Ah, the results of a shitty childhood spent alone. Shaking that thought off, Jasmine offered them a sheepish smile, "Sorry for not being around for a few days."

"What happened?" Lupa demanded with a low growl, "You had the idiots worried and made me miss my chance to beat your ass into the ground,"

Jasmine was somewhat amused as she knew that Lupa had been worried about her as well. For all the rivalry that had spawned between them, the two would still watch another's backs and cared about one another. Jasmine hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell them part of what happened, "A parasite was attached to me and siphoning off my magic. It had been there for years and was only discovered a little bit ago. Lykos and the other teachers were here to help get rid of it. The moment they manage to extract it, the magic that had been kept from me burst forward in a torrent and knocked me unconscious. I only woke up yesterday and my Cousin wanted to make sure I was alright, so we ended up spending the day together."

"And you're completely fine?" Edric asked earning a nod.

"They'll be monitoring my health, but as far as we know, I'm fine," Jasmine watched as everyone relaxed and went off to do what they were doing before she got back.

Lupa hit her in the arm, "You better spar with me soon to make up for the one you missed."

"I will," Jasmine smiled slightly as the gruff teen walked off.

Edric looked at her with a slight frown, "You're really fine?"

"As far as we can tell," Jasmine grinned at him, "I'm fine, Edric,"

Gaia was quick to pounce on Jasmine and fill her in on what happened as they headed toward their bunks. Edric followed after the two with a slight smile though worry still filled his mind. He didn't think she'd been telling the whole truth, but wouldn't press her just yet. Besides, they both still had secrets that neither were ready to share even if they were family. Considering all the facts, Edric was willing to wait and get her trust just as she did the same for him.

* * *

Kaze led Jasmine, Gaia, and Edric into a small courtyard before pointing to the pillows on the ground, "Brats, you guys need to take a seat."

They did as she bid and settled on the rather comfortable pillows. Once they were settled, Jasmine finally asked, "What exactly are we doing?"

"It's time for you guys to learn how to seal your wings in preparation for High Arch," Kaze explained as she too took a seat, "This is to ensure that until you're completely comfortable fighting with your wings, you can keep them from getting damaged in a fight. It will also help you during classes where having your wings out is more of a burden than anything else,"

"So," Gaia pointedly looked around, "Where are the others?"

"They too are being given the lesson as well," Kaze answered without snapping at Gaia much to their surprise, "In order to do this lesson both correctly and efficiently, all of the Flights are broken up into groups of four and placed under a Flight commander. Due to your Flight having an extra, you three got put together. Normally, you three would be put with one of the division leaders, but two of you are special cases and Lady Brigid wants to ensure no one tampers with you. Because of this, I'm watching over this while the division leader that got chosen is with the group I would have been teaching,"

"Special cases?" Gaia asked with a frown, "What do you mean?"

"Eos is an outsider while Edric..." Kaze gave a pointed look towards Edric's wings earning a gasp of realization from Gaia and a look of confusion from Jasmine, "It also has to do with those two being some of Lady Brigid's few living family members,"

"You two are related to Lady Phoenix?!" Gaia stared at them with wide eyes that filled with hurt, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Jasmine offered the girl an awkward apologetic smile while Edric sighed deeply. Jasmine looked at Edric for a moment before telling Gaia, "We wanted to be treated like normal Hunters while gaining friends and respect the normal way. I wanted to tell you, but due to how things were back in my original country, I was hesitant. I'm sorry Gaia."

Gaia eyed them as Edric nodded his head to Jasmine's words. Finally, she nodded lightly, "Alright, but you two have to make this up to," They looked at her curiously, "You both have to take me out to get ice cream one of these days."

"I think we can do that." Edric said while Jasmine nodded with a soft laugh.

Kaze clapped her hands, "Good for you, but we need to start," They all focused on the elder Hunter, "To seal your wings, you need to close your eyes and focus on your magic. Once you manage to find it, you'll need to concentrate on sealing your wings. Focus on how your back looked and felt before you got your wings while visualizing them disappearing into your back."

Jasmine nodded and closed her eyes. Even if it was easy to find her magic now that she'd begun to meditate, she still needed to close her eyes to find it. Within seconds, Jasmine found her magic and was startled to feel just how much there was. Pushing that thought behind her in order to focus on the task at hand, Jasmine pictured the wings vanishing into her back while remembering how it felt without them. It took a while before Jasmine felt her back begin to heat up alongside her wings. The feeling wasn't exactly painful, but it was unpleasant. When it faded, Jasmine opened her eyes and found Kaze looking at her with a nod. Jasmine felt behind her and sighed upon finding her wings gone. She stood up slowly and almost immediatly fell forward due to her center of gravity being off. Kaze caught her as Jasmine muttered, "Our center of gravity changes when we seal them. More than likely, it changes when we unseal them as well."

"Yup, but you did good sealing them," Kaze told her while gesturing to the other two, "They're still at it, but it won't take them too long. I want you to get used to walking around with your wings for a few minutes. If your back starts burning or causes you any pain, you need to focus on releasing your wings,"

Jasmine nodded and Kaze returned to her seat. Jasmine placed her hand on the nearby low wall that surrounded the courtyard and used it to help keep her balance as she began a slow circuit around the area. Edric managed it next and began walking as well though he managed to get the hang of it far easier. Gaia managed it a few minutes after Edric and began her slow circuit as well. When Jasmine's back began to ache, she returned to the pillow and concentrated on releasing her wings. It burned a little, but Jasmine felt a sense of relief fall over her as the weight of her wings settled once more onto her back. Jasmine looked at Gaia as the girl slipped onto the pillow next to her and unsealed her wings, "Painful?"

"It burned a bit, but it feels so good to let them loose," Gaia replied with a low groan.

Jasmine looked towards Edric as he continued to walk around, "It's hard to believe he's still managing it."

Gaia blinked slightly before saying, "That's because Ladon's a drayden."

"Drayden?" Jasmine tested the word slowly.

Before Gaia could say anything more, Edric plopped down and said, "It aches."

Kaze let out a soft laugh, "It's supposed to. Our wings are a big part of who we are. If we hide them, we hide part of ourselves and that isn't natural. Lady Brigid's the only one that can really stand keeping her wings sealed for longer than a few days."

And Jasmine couldn't blame her cousin, it wasn't hard to see why after seeing just what Brigid's wings looked like. Before Jasmine could ask what a drayden was, Kaze put them to work on sealing and unsealing their wings. By the end of the lesson, Jasmine was in too much pain to remember what she wanted to ask and simply focused on getting some rest before the next lesson they had.

* * *

They'd been released into the town below the Den to shop for their upcoming entrance exam. Kaze and Brigid had given Jasmine a rather thick list of things she should buy. With Edric and Gaia's assistance, Jasmine managed to get everything on the list. When they finished up, Gaia dragged them to an ice cream stand and they got ice cream. Since Jasmine rarely had the chance to indulge in the treat, she didn't know much about the flavors and chose basic chocolate. Edric got a rather odd fruity one that looked like it would be better as yogurt. As the ice cream fanatic of the group, Gaia got so much ice cream that her companions were sure would melt before she finished it. To their surprise, the girl managed to not only finish it, but pack away an additional one before finally ending with a single cone of sea salt ice cream. Jasmine didn't know how that would taste and wasn't willing to find out just yet.

They left the ice cream stand a bit poorer and headed towards the square near the Den. They settled on the benches set up there and Jasmine felt a sense of relief flow over her. It wasn't that she didn't like shopping, but something about buy so much in one sitting made the sixteen year old shudder inside. She looked at her friends and smiled slightly. They were quickly becoming her best friends and Jasmine couldn't wait to make more at High Arch. A thought occurred to her and Jasmine commented, "It will be interesting."

"Huh?" Gaia looked at her with a confused expression on her face.

Edric nodded after a few moments, "High Arch will definitely be interesting. The entrance exam is bound to be almost as interesting as well."

"It'll be hard," Jasmine leaned back against the wall that the bench was set up against, "It has to be if they're giving us a five day time limit to arrive,"

Gaia hummed softly, "At the very least, we can team up and maybe find some others. I think we can have groups of up to six work together."

"Six is correct though if there is an odd number, they will allow for a team of seven," Edric pulled out the pamphlet they had all been given upon accepting their invitations to High Arch, "It's lucky that the full moon will not be for another week or we'd be in trouble as Wolfs bane is not allowed for the examines,"

"Harsh, but expected given just what kind of school this is," Gaia winced slightly, "Still, I feel bad for the ones that had to go through the exam without that potion,"

Jasmine nodded lightly before saying, "It's hard to believe that so much has happened since I got my invitation."

"Same," Gaia grinned lightly, "I haven't been away from my siblings in years. It's nice not to have them around,"

"You have siblings?" Jasmine asked with slightly wide eyes as the girl hadn't mentioned it before.

Gaia nodded as she licked her ice cream, "I have five older siblings with five younger ones. My mom and dads are really fertile."

"Dads?" Jasmine couldn't stop the confusion from leaking into her voice, "As in more than one?"

Edric cleared his throat as Gaia looked at her in confusion, "It is common among Hunters to take more than one mate. Due to our powers, Hunters tend to take more mates to stabilize themselves. However, it is also common for Hunters to only have one."

Gaia snapped her fingers and pointed at Jasmine, "That's right, you didn't grow up around this stuff. I guess you still have a lot to learn."

Jasmine could only agree with that as she had a lot of trouble really understanding how a relationship with multiple partners would work. The use of 'mate' was a surprise, but given Hunter instincts, Jasmine guessed that it was to be expected. Regardless, Jasmine would be going for her High Arch entrance exam tomorrow and planned on spending the time preparing.

 **Okay, I want to make something clear with you guys. The pairing has been decided and no it will not be Yuri. I don't mind it, but I can't write it. This means that Jasmine will not be paired with Hermione, Luna, or any other Harry Potter verse female.**

 **Also, I wanted to mention that my little sister has apologized for what happened.**

 **Any creatures that are not recognized by you are of my own creation or used with the permission of others.**

 **I love you guys and remember, tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice:**

* * *

Chapter Six

* * *

Brigid smiled at Jasmine as she finished checking over her gear with Edric and Gaia. Seeing as Gaia now knew of their relation, the three cousins had decided to have her join them during their last minute preparations. Jasmine rose up and carefully stretched, "I've got everything."

"If you find that you've forgotten something or need anything, I'm only a message away," Brigid said for the third time in the last hour and a half.

Jasmine smiled despite the small amount of irritation that bubbled up and turned to Brigid, "I know."

Brigid pulled Jasmine in a hug and the teen relaxed against her elder while relishing in the physical contact. Ever since gaining her wings, Jasmine found herself craving physical contact though she only ever let Brigid, Kaze, Edric, and Gaia touch her. Everyone else made her a bit nervous which was apparently a normal reaction to anyone not family. It was odd, yet pleasing to know that Jasmine considered those four her family despite either distant relations or no relation at all. Jasmine was torn from her thoughts as Gaia spoke up, "I think now would be a good time to say it."

"Say what?" Jasmine asked her curiously.

Gaia grinned at Jasmine, "I think it's time I shared my name with you guys."

Jasmine looked at Gaia in surprise before smiling slightly, "I might as well do the same."

"Agreed," Edric glanced at Jasmine.

Jasmine noticed the look and frowned slightly as she wondered what he was thinking about. Gaia didn't allow Jasmine a chance to think about it as the girl said, "My names Kara Blakely."

"Ariadne Dagny," Jasmine answered though part of her really wanted to say her true name.

"Edric Hale," Edric answered with a slight smile.

"Goodie, the brats have exchanged their names," Kaze strode into the room with a serious look on her face, "We got a problem,"

Brigid immediatly stiffened as Kaze stopped before her, "What happened?"

"Third division's patrol got hit. Four people heavily injured, one dead, and the rest injured in some way," Kaze answered earning a sharp intake of breath from the fledglings.

Brigid swore softly under her breath, "They were in the eastern mountains."

"From what we managed to get before the healers dragged them away was that the demon was a flyer," Kaze grimaced as the three fledglings went wide eyed.

Demons with the ability to fly were a rarity. Considering how powerful they can be, it was considered a good thing as it gave Hunters a much needed advantage. For one to be seen, it was quite clear that there was going to be an intense hunt to kill it off before it could do anymore damage. Brigid cursed and went to the corner of the room where her weapons were stored, "Kaze, I want our best aerial trackers and fighters in the air. I'll be joining them."

"Noted," Kaze took out a device that resembled a cellphone and began typing on it.

"Eos, Ladon, and Gaia," Brigid looked at the trio, "I want you to focus on the test and not worry about things,"

"But-" Jasmine couldn't stop herself from protesting.

"Eos!" Jasmine flinched at the shout and Brigid sighed deeply, "Cousin, we aren't known as Hunter just because of our wings. A Flyer won't be too much of a problem so long as we stay calm and remember our training. You three have a lot to worry about with the test," Brigid offered Jasmine a gentle smile that made the teen's chest feel warm, "As soon as you finish the test, Gabriel will tell you what happened. I promise,"

Jasmine swallowed and nodded earning a warm smile from Brigid before the woman turned to continue getting ready.

* * *

The portkey that they were given dropped them off in a stony area that looked like a hybrid between a temple and a castle. Jasmine carefully got up after shaking the effects of the portkey off and noticed that there were at least a hundred beings there. She saw everything from a humanoid hyena to a tiny looking man with insect wings. Gaia shook her head, "Damn, I forgot how much portkeys sucked."

"Agreed," Edric was grimacing and rubbing at his temples, "They always manage to give me a headache,"

"They are a rather violent form of transportation," Someone spoke from nearby.

They all turned and Jasmine found her eyes widening slightly. A girl with warm hazel eyes and bronze skin smiled lightly at them. The off thing about her was the heavy looking wings, razor sharp talons, and feathers scattered through her white blonde hair. The girl's wings were a dark white almost grey color with black spots reminding Jasmine of Hedwig's feathers. Jasmine shook her head lightly and offered the girl a slight smile, "Yeah, I've never gotten used to it."

"I doubt anyone has," She replied with a soft laugh, "My names Shareen Silver of the Snowclaw Gryffon shifter clan. You must be one of the Hunter groups,"

"Yeah," Jasmine shifted slightly while eyeing the area around them, "I wasn't expecting such a large crowd,"

"No one ever does from what the elders say," Shareen looked at Jasmine, "So what's your name? Hunter and regular,"

"Eos and Ariadne Dagny," Jasmine replied as Kara and Edric added theirs, "You came alone?"

Shareen rolled her eyes, "No, but the boys ditched me as soon as we got here. Want to team up?"

Jasmine glanced at Edric and Kara. The two looked at her before shrugging and Jasmine turned back to Shareen. The Gryffin shifter didn't seem like a bad person nor did she set off alarm bells like Pettigrew had. Running a hand through her hair, Jasmine finally nodded, "Sure, we could use another person."

"Or three," A cheerful voice spoke up from behind them and they turned to find two guys standing there.

One was a giant of a teen with messy brown hair and golden eyes that glowed faintly in the light. He had coffee colored skin and only wore a pair of camo pants. The other was a small teen with bright blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He had pale peach colored skin decorated with a few swirling black tribal tattoos. He too lacked a shirt, but at the very least, he wore a pair of boots. He flashed a grin revealing two sharp fangs. Edric let out a low mutterer, "Lycan and Ancient."

"Eyup!" The cheerful voice had come from the vampire, "My names Cameron David and this is my adoptive brother Len David. Len doesn't talk much, so do be surprised if he doesn't say anything,"

"You wish to join us?" Kara asked with slightly wide eyes.

"It can't hurt to have a full team," Cameron's wide grin faded slightly, "Not to mention, I doubt we'll find anyone else,"

Edric turned to Jasmine as she looked at the boy in confusion and explained, "They're an oddity since Lycans and Ancients don't get along too well. A lot of people won't like how close they are."

"Ah," Jasmine looked at the two before offering them a warm smile, "Sure just keep the fangs away and we'll be good,"

Cameron let out a laugh and darted forward to pull Jasmine into a hug, "I like you already! We're going to be good friends!"

Jasmine stiffened at the touch and only relaxed once Edric forced Cameron to let go. The boy look confused and Edric explained, "Ariadne doesn't do well with touch outside of those she considers family."

Cameron blinked before giving Jasmine a knowing and apologetic look, "I apologize and hope that didn't ruin our chances of joining up with you."

Jasmine looked at him in surprise before shaking her head, "You didn't know, so don't worry about it. Just try to warn me if the urge hits you."

Cameron gave her a salute, "Aye, aye Captain!"

Unable to stop herself, Jasmine let out a soft laugh and Cameron grinned wildly.

* * *

Not long after that, an explosion sounded making many flinch and draw some sort of weapon as they turned towards the source. A humanoid hyena stood near the entrance of the temple/castle. Beetle black eyes stared at them from a furred face and Jasmine felt as if he was assessing them as a hunter would their prey. He wore nothing save for a simple pair of leather shorts and a small back back. He had mostly black fur with a few patches of brown and dark grey spread out. The only splash of color on him were the three pale pink paw prints settled on the middle of his chest. He bared his fangs at them in the mockery of a grin, "So you cunts are jumpy, good. It will serve you well in this little test of ours. My name is Talib and for this exam, I am your overseer. For the next five days, you'll be trekking through the wilderness in an attempt to find High Arch. Those of you that make it, I welcome you as students. Those of you that don't, I look forward to watching you die by way of the carnivorous beings that are running around."

"How the hell are we going to find the damn place?!" Someone yelled from the back of the gathering.

Talib chuckled darkly, "If you had not interrupted, I could have told you."

There was a flash of silver and a wave of heat seconds before a scream rang through the air, they all turned and Jasmine felt a bile rising in her throat. A boy with ram-like horns on his head lay on the ground with blood pooling around his twitching body. A haze of heat rose from a large javelin-like piece of metal which no doubt went all the way through the boy. The shirt around the wound was slowly burning away from the sheer heat that radiated from the metal. The boy's wide brown eyes slowly began to darken as he struggled to get a grip on the obviously burning hot metal. The scent of burning flesh and muscle filled the air as the boy continued his struggle to get the weapon out of him. Slowly, the boy's struggles lessened until they completely stopped as his head fell back against the ground and the life drained completely out of his eyes. Jasmine heard someone throwing up nearby as Kara muttered, "Damn."

"Remind me not to get on that Heyan's bad side," Cameron whispered from behind Jasmine earning a nod from the witch.

"Now!" Talib forced their attention back to him as he began to walk through the crowd to retrieve his weapon, "I hope none of you will interrupt me unless you want to fall victim to the first rule of High Arch," Jasmine watched as Talib grabbed his weapon and pulled it out of the dead guy with a slight crunch, "First rule of High Arch: Do not interrupt a teacher or observer," Talib strolled back through the crowd and turned to them when he had returned to his old spot, "Now, each team will be given an orb that will lead you to a specific point. Once there, you will find your entry point into High Arch. Someone will be waiting on the other side. They will have further instructions," He grinned at them, "Questions?" Everyone stayed silent, "Good! Let's get started!"

* * *

Jasmine barely stopped herself from cursing as the damn orb they'd been given dropped them into a lake of some sort. She barely managed to adjust her hold on the orb while twisting her body around into a dive. When she surfaced, Jasmine took a deep breath while looking around. The lake was surrounded by a barrier of trees save for a few rock strewn sandy beaches. The water was a soft greenish purple color and smelled somewhat sweet though the scent coming off of it could be from the flowers that floated on the water's surface. She heard a splash and gasp from nearby and turned to find Kara attempting to stay afloat, "Kara."

"Ari," Kara gasped out, "Mind giving me some help?"

Jasmine carefully headed through the water and began to help Kara stay afloat. As soon as the dirty blonde haired girl had stabilized, Jasmine let go and looked around for the others. Soon enough, they surfaced with Shareen seemingly having the most trouble. No one said anything as they attempted to get to one of the nearby beaches. As soon as they reached it, Cameron groaned, "I fucking hate lake water."

"You alright, Shareen?" Jasmine asked the shifter earning a tired nod.

"Water and Gryffins don't go well together," The shifter explained as she flexed her wings to get rid of the water, "You?"

"I'm fine," Jasmine glanced back at the water, "That water is weird though,"

"It's the Amotian," The so far silent Len spoke up in his surprisingly soft voice, "The flowers on the water," They all glanced towards the floating flowers, "They're a magical species of lotus used almost exclusively in healing potions. Certain parts of them contain powerful poisons, so try not to touch them,"

They looked at the Lycan before Kara summed up their thoughts, "Don't touch the deadly, yet pretty water flowers. Got it."

Cameron shook his head before saying, "Let's get dried off. Who has the orb?"

Jasmine held it up, "I do."

* * *

After drying off, the group gathered together and peered down at the orb. It resembled that remembrall Neville used to have though larger and clear of smoke. The baseball sized orb was passed around the group as they attempted to figure out how to use it. Eventually, Jasmine commented, "Maybe we can use it as a focus?"

"A focus?" Shareen hummed softly before grinning, "You might me onto something, Ari,"

Cameron looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Mind sharing that idea with the class."

Shareen nodded while rolling the orb around in her hands, "Simple, it's supposed to lead us to our entrance. I doubt the examiners want to make it easy for us, so someone is probably going to have to use this as a focus in someway. We just need to find the directional spell they want us to use," Shareen noticed the confused looks being directed towards her, "I've seen orbs like these being used by the curse breakers back home. They come in pairs with one being a tracker and the other being used to find the tracker. They use these to find temples and stuff if they have to leave in a hurry."

Edric spoke up from beside Jasmine, "I recall some divisions use these and one makes them though I can't recall which."

"So," Cameron spoke slowly while eyeing the two, "Any idea how to figure out the direction spell?"

Everyone pondered over it as Jasmine took the orb back from Shareen. She peered down at the warm orb and contemplated what spell it could be. She didn't know very many directional spells as it hadn't seemed very important to research them. More than likely, the spell would have to be simple since most would think to research those spells. While there was a chance that the examiners wanted them to use such spells and thus limiting the amount of students getting into the school, Jasmine doubted that they would do something like that. Perhaps, the orb allowed for the use of multiple directional spells. If so, it meant that they weren't limited to a certain spell which would allow for the prospective students to have a good chance. Hoping she was right, Jasmine held the orb carefully and directed her magic into it while saying, "Point me High Arch entrance."

The orb began to glow until a glowing green arrow appeared in the orb. Cameron let out a whoop and shouted, "We have a direction! Let's go!"

* * *

Jasmine ducked and muttered a curse as a darkly colored blur slammed past her head. She spun around and sent shards of ice towards the wriggling form, "Glacious!"

The ice impacted it and two others earning a loud screech before dissolving into black slime mixed with brown dust. Jasmine was quick to dodge another of the blurs as Cameron shouted, "What the hell are these things?"

"E level demons!" Jasmine shouted over the dying screeches, "Not sure which, but these are a speed type,"

Edric growled softly from next to her, "We need to get out of this. We're probably in some type of nest area."

"I thought these things came from a portal," Shareen commented from nearby.

Kara snorted softly, "Only certain species and types come from portals, the rest come from nests like this though they're usually weaker."

Jasmine killed another set of the damn things before hissing, "We can talk about this later. Let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

When they finally reached as far as they could go that day, everyone was more than a little relieved to get some rest. After they started a fire and broke out some dinner, Cameron spoke up, "So, you three are Hunters, right?" The three nodded, "Have you guys ever been around here?"

"I was never allowed to leave Windseeker," Kara replied after swallowing her bite of food, "My clan has this rule that we aren't allowed to leave until our wings come in. Something about reaching adulthood, I think,"

Jasmine took a sip of her water as the three non-Hunters turned to her, "I was born and raised in England. I didn't even know I was a Hunter until the Headmaster sent me a letter and offered me a place here," She noticed the looks on their faces, "I didn't even know about magic until I turned eleven and don't believe in most of the shit that comes out of their mouths,"

Cameron grinned at her, "Then you're alright by me, I just hope you'll prove more skilled than the magicals I've met that came from that place."

"What about you?" Shareen looked at Edric.

Edric looked at her before shaking his head, "I grew up in one of the Hunter outposts. My mother wasn't really big on stay here."

"Can't blame her," Shareen gave him a sympathetic look, "If what I've heard was true, you were better off,"

Jasmine recalled the question she'd had and asked, "What is a drayden?"

The others looked at her in surprise before Kara face palmed, "Right, you grew up in a country of ill informed sheep and inbred bigots."

Edric cleared his throat, "A drayden is a type of dragon. They have the ability to take on a human form, but aren't actually human," Jasmine's eyes widen slightly, "They can take human mates and have children with the kids being half drayden. The unique thing about drayden biology is that any drayden child will always be at least half."

"How?" Jasmine looked at him in confusion.

Edric sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "Drayden magic is too thick and powerful to allow for anything else. The only way a child would be less than half was if the drayden in question was sealed. Even then, the child's drayden side would be sealed as well."

Jasmine blinked at him before announcing, "That is really confusing."

"Tell me about it," Edric shook his head lightly, "To put it simply, I'm half drayden, half Hunter which isn't something most people approve of,"

The facts about Edric that she hadn't understood before clicked together and she said, "Your mother's family doesn't approve."

"My father's family doesn't either, but I suppose that's why they wouldn't take me in when I was younger," Edric's tone was bitter and biting making Jasmine wince.

She opened her mouth to apologize for bringing it up only for Edric to stand up and stalk off. She began to rise up only to find Cameron stopping her, "I would suggest leaving him be. He needs some time alone. I'm sure once he comes back everything will be alright."

Jasmine wanted to argue, but knew that Cameron was right. It didn't stop her from worrying about Edric seeing as they were in an unfamiliar place and surrounded by dangerous things that wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

* * *

By morning, Edric had returned looking no worse for wear than when he left. After a quick breakfast, they began to make their way towards their destination once more with Shareen taking charge of the orb. Jasmine walked beside Edric as the drayden stared forward with a frown on his face. Jasmine took a deep breath before speaking softly, "Edric, I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"You had no idea," Edric dismissed her apology.

"Still," Jasmine wouldn't let him wave her off, "I should have realized you didn't want to share it after how hard you tried to avoid the subject,"

"It would have come out eventually," Edric glanced at her before sighing and offering her a smile, "Thank you though,"

Jasmine smiled at him in return before asking, "So can you turn into a dragon or is that only for full drayden?"

Edric let out a soft laugh and shook his head, "I can turn into a dragon. While I might not be fairly large, I'm still bigger than a horse and carry quite a bit. I'm still growing too, so I'm sure to get larger."

* * *

The day passed quickly with the group talking and moving through the rather large forest. It wasn't until dusk that they found themselves at the edge of the forest and the beginning of a large field of grass. When they settled down for the night, Jasmine wasn't the only one that was tense. Swallowing down the sandwich she'd been eating, Jasmine asked, "Anyone else feel like that field isn't right?"

"I think that I can speak for the rest of us and say yeah," Shareen glanced towards the field as her wings shifted nervously on her back.

"It smells off," Len eyed the field with distrust.

"Smells like old blood and death," Cameron covered his nose, "And dog,"

"So," Jasmine glanced up at the trees, "Everyone want to sleep in a tree tonight?"

Nods were given and they quickly climbed into the trees after banking the fire. As soon as the sun went down, a howl rang out from the field which was followed by quite a few others. Jasmine shivered in her tree at the hauntingly beautiful sound that seemed to send dread down her spine. She caught flashes of fire and the tell tale glow of the orb they were using to find their entrance. Seconds later, they heard a piecing scream and someone shouting, "WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS?!"

"SOMEONE HELP US!" Someone else shouted seconds before screaming filled the air.

The screaming was cut off abruptly and Jasmine heard a rustling sound. She looked down and saw a girl stumbled out of the field while carrying a torch. She stumbled before falling to the ground below Jasmine's tree. She looked up and Jasmine found herself staring into pale sea green eyes. The girl reached up with a finned hand only for a huge black shape to cover her body. The girl screamed as the sounds of flesh being torn from bone filled the air. Within seconds, the girl fell silent and Jasmine felt sick to her stomach. When the black form moved, Jasmine could only see something white on the ground. Before she could look away, the beast looked up and Jasmine's eyes were met with hellish gold. The breath stilled in Jasmine's chest as the beast stared up at her. She didn't breath again until the beast looked away as a howl rang up. It howled in return before returning to the field though it glanced back at her for a few moments.

* * *

When morning came, Jasmine had only slept a little and found herself unable to eat breakfast. Everyone else sicked breakfast as well while looking pale and drawn. As they left the field behind, Jasmine found herself asking, "What were those things?"

"Field hounds," Cameron answered in a shaky voice, "They're a subspecies of hell hound that live mainly in fields. Magical farmers use them to protect their fields in exchange for the field hounds getting free meals whenever someone trespasses. Big fuckers with two mouths and shark like teeth. They're territorial as hell and will track down anyone that trespasses on their territory,"

"Uncle breeds them," Len added earning a few surprised looks.

Kara spoke as they finally passed the field and began heading through a large valley, "Your uncle must be crazy."

"Just a bit," Cameron let out a low laugh, "Uncle's never been right in the head, but he's nice and gives us good presents,"

"Let me say this," Shareen spoke up as Len walked in front of them, "Your family is weird,"

"Yeah," Cameron grinned lightly while looking a little less pale, "I don't blame you for saying that,"

Everyone found themselves laughing a little and growing more settled. Jasmine knew she'd have nightmares of last night though she was aware that it was just luck that saved her from seeing the girl being ripped to shreds.

* * *

After making it through the valley and eating a quick lunch, they found themselves encountering yet another magical creature. This time, it was a large bear-like creature with boar tusks sticking out of it's mouth and a mane of spiky black fur running down it's back. A thin boar-like tail swished behind it with a small tuft of black fur coming off of it. Jasmine immediatly recognized it from her studies, "That's a ivory beartusk, I thought they were only native to the mountainous regions of Africa and North America."

"Considering all the facts, I'm thinking someone brought some here," Shareen looked a little freaked out.

The beartusk chose that moment to notice them and roared before charging forward. They scattered to avoid it and by luck, Jasmine was chosen to be it's target. Inwardly cursing the infamous Potter luck, Jasmine began to run away from it while shouting, "A little help!"

"What do you know about that thing?" Cameron shouted at her in return.

With a slight groan, Jasmine dodged another swipe and began to recite the information she'd read, "Beartusk's are normally passive beasts much like elephants or sheep. They often travel in family groups of up to five. They live off a mixture of fruits, vegetables, plants, and meats though it has been proven that fish such as salmon are poisonous to them. The most prized feature of the beartusk are their boar-like tusks-"

"Okay!" Shareen hissed at her, "What are it's weaknesses?"

Jasmine scanned her memory for that information, "They're heavily allergic to mercury and can't live without their tusks. The tusk is a sensory organ that allow the virtually blind creature to see using their noses."

"Just get rid of the tusks!" Kara crowed softly, "Ari! Use your wires!"

"Would if I could," Jasmine barked at her, "They're in my bag and this is not the type of area where I can use those,"

The area that the beartusk had taken as it's own was enclosed save for the way they'd come and the small pathway heading the way they needed to go. Due to the enclosed space, Jasmine didn't have the room needed to use her wires correctly without risking injury to either herself or her group. Jasmine barely managed to dodge the beartusk's razor sharp claws. Upon feeling burning pain radiating from her arm, Jasmine amended her assessment upon seeing blood began to pool from the four slash marks left by the beast. Gritting her teeth, Jasmine tried to move away from the beast as it lifted a paw to it's nose. Jasmine was taken by surprise when Cameron appeared and grabbed her before darting towards the opening they'd been trying to get through. Cameron spoke softly as they hurried through the opening, "Sorry, but we need to get away while that things distracted."

"No problem," Jasmine replied as a roar sounded from behind them.

Thankfully for the group, the beartusk was too large for the opening and they managed to get away.

* * *

As soon as they found a good place to rest for a little, Edric took a look at her arm while Cameron commented, "Your blood smells good."

Jasmine looked at him as Edric began cleaning the claw marks, "Doesn't all blood smell good to you?"

Cameron gained a scowl on his face and opened his mouth to say something when Len laid a hand on his shoulder. Cameron turned to him and Len stared at his adoptive brother, "Calm, she has never met a proper vampire before."

A sigh left the vampire, "I suppose that I cannot take offense as you didn't know," Cameron turned to her, "Everyone's blood has a diffrent taste and smell to it. Some blood, like Len's here, smells horrible and tastes like shit. The reason being that he's a lycan and has a heavy wolf flavoring to his blood. Due to that, his blood doesn't tempt me at all and often makes me feel sick just smelling it."

Jasmine hissed as Edric cleaned up a particularly deep cut, "So my blood smells good to you?"

"Divine actually," Cameron corrected her after sniffing the air, "If I weren't an ancient, I'd have taken a bit out of you by now. It's still a bit hard to resist,"

"Why?" Jasmine looked at him curiously while trying to ignore how much her arm hurt.

Cameron tapped his chin as Len handed him a metal container. After opening it and taking a sip, the ancient spoke, "Magic resides in the blood, so yours smells so good because your magic is quite potent. You'll have to be careful at school or you might find yourself becoming prey though..." He sniffed the air lightly and capped the container before getting up, "Hmm..." Cameron strode over to her as his nose twitched and he sniffed the air, "That's odd,"

When he leaned down and sniffed at her, Jasmine shifted, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure something out," He informed her before sniffing around the faint scar left by the mantis demon, "Yeah that smells like him," Cameron backed up and returned to his seat, "You won't have to worry about anyone attempting to make you prey,"

"Why?" Jasmine watched him pick the container back up and uncap it before taking a drink.

Cameron swallowed before saying, "Gabriel Lykos is not someone you want to fuck with. Seeing as you carry his scent, no sane vampire will try to feed off you," Jasmine glanced down at the faint scar before looking back up at Cameron as the boy hummed, "He didn't mention that to you, did he?"

"No," Jasmine shook her head as Edric began to heal her arm, "He just got rid of the poison I had in my arm,"

Cameron nodded before grinning at her, "Regardless of why he did it, you are now safe from the vampire population at High Arch and perhaps beyond. More than likely, he did it for more than helping you with that poison, but I can't say since I've never actually met the guy."

Closing her eyes, Jasmine leaned back against the rock she was sitting in front of, "So what type of vampire is Lykos?"

"An ancient and one of the elder ones," Cameron replied in a slightly soft and uncomfortable tone, "No one knows how old he is and no one's going to attempt to figure it out. They're not suicidal enough to try it,"

When the ancient fell silent, Jasmine took it to mean he wouldn't say more on the subject. Instead, Jasmine decided to use the rest of break wisely. While she wasn't good at it, Occlumency was a skill she needed to work on if only to keep the likes of Snape and Voldemort out of her mind.

* * *

An hour before sunset saw the them in a rocky outcropping and before their very eyes, the arrow on the orb disappeared. Taking the orb from Cameron, Jasmine tried to use the spell once more only and succeeded in calling up the arrow once more only to see it splutter before dying. Everyone tried it at least once before realizing that it was useless. Shareen grimaced as slightly, "Well that sucks."

"Either the damn thing just broke or we're where we need to go," Cameron said while eyeing the area around them, "Guess we need to find the entrance,"

"So it's a test inside a test, joy," Jasmine muttered softly earning a few tired laughs.

They began to look around the rocky outcropping for any sign of an entrance. As they did so, Jasmine walked with Shareen and the gryffin shifter asked, "How's the arm?"

"Aches a bit, but nothing too serious," Jasmine glanced down at the white bandages on her right arm, "Edric says that it won't scar,"

"That's good," Shareen looked relieved to hear that.

Jasmine glanced at the gryffin shifter for a few moments as she contemplated what she'd seen. Shareen had been rather pale and shaky ever since they met the beartusk. In fact, Jasmine recalled her freezing the moment they heard the beast roar. Frowning slightly, Jasmine wondered if the shifter was scared of the beasts. While they had just met a few days ago, Jasmine had taken a liking to the shifter and didn't like seeing her scared. Taking a deep breath as they moved away from the others, Jasmine asked, "Do beartusks scare you?"

Shareen froze with slightly wide and hazy eyes as her feathers fluffed up. Jasmine noticed the small tremors moving through the shifter and reached out to touch her shoulder. Shareen flinched slightly before looking at her for a few moments. Jasmine dimly registered the soft keening sound leaving the gryffin as Cameron groaned, "Where the hell is it?!"

Jasmine spoke in a soft and even tone that she'd learned from Sirius, "Calm down, Shareen. You aren't there anymore. Calm down and remember where you are."

Slowly, the keening sound stopped and Shareen's eyes cleared up. The shifter looked at her with surprise as a flush appeared on her cheek, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Jasmine smiled lightly at her, "I should have known since I always get that way after a really bad nightmare,"

Jasmine didn't think about which nightmare with a stubbornness born from years of dealing with the Dursleys. Shareen didn't ask which Jasmine was somewhat thankful for. Instead, Shareen admitted, "A beartusk almost killed me when I was younger. I still have trouble being near them though it's gotten better since back then."

"I'm glad," Jasmine took her hand off of Shareen's shoulder, "Now, we should probably find that entrance. I'd rather like to sleep in a warm bed and have good food tonight,"

Shareen let out a soft laugh and nodded as the two rejoined the search.

* * *

In a shadowed room, a group of cloaked men and women sat watching the group of three hunters, an ancient, a lycan, and a gryffin shifter. The orb they were using was the only thing giving off light in the room save for the glowing runes covering the large room. One of the cloaked figures spoke up softly after seeing what had just happened, "The gryffin is the younger sister of a student here, is she not?"

"Yes," Another replied while eyeing Jasmine, "She is the hunter that came from England, correct?"

"Indeed," Another replied in a feminine voice, "Already, she is proving to be an odd one. I doubt anyone else from her country of origin would do the same,"

"What of the young Ancient?" A male voice spoke this time, "He seems rather knowledgeable,"

"Impatient, but he is a rather young ancient," Someone voiced in a rough voice, "It is to be expected of the young after all,"

"The Lycan is diffrent from the others in this batch," Another grunted out, "Lycan's are normally boisterous. It seems that he's changed personalities with the ancient,"

"Can you blame the boy," A feminine voice hissed, "After what he's been through, you cannot expect him to be the same as everyone else,"

"Calm my dear," A cloaked figure stood up, "I think it's time we let them in,"

"What about the other two Hunters," Someone protested, "We haven't discussed them yet,"

"The drayden hybrid is a healer which is unusual while the girl hasn't done too much," The standing figure replied, "I believe that the only way we'll see the other female Hunter's potential is through the learning process,"

"Still..." One of the figures shifted slightly.

The standing figure scoffed softly, "If I must, I will sponsor their attendance. They show promise and I will not allow it to be wasted just because you wish to waste time. We will allow them in."

"If that is what you wish, let us open the entrance," A soft almost whispery voice came from one of the members that hadn't spoken just yet.

* * *

Jasmine ran a hand through her hair while grimacing at the feel of it, "The first thing I'm doing when we get there is showering."

"Agreed," Shareen grimaced slightly, "My feathers are going to be dyed brown if we don't get in soon,"

"I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," Cameron groaned softly as he rubbed at his stomach.

Jasmine glanced at him, "So ancients can eat too?"

"While we do need blood, we also need actual food as well," Cameron answered while eyeing the stone around them with a glare, "Ancients are one of the few vampires species that can eat human food without any problems,"

"This is boring," Kara kicked a loose stone, "I just wish we coul-"

A cracking sound echoed through the air and they all froze before turning slowly towards where Kara had kicked the stone. A rather small crack appeared on the previously smooth boulder that sat in near the back of the outcrop. Moving towards it slowly, Jasmine ran a hand over the stone and turned her head, "Anyone want to see if we can break this thing?"

Tired grins appeared on everyone's faces and they went to work on the boulder. As soon as they managed to crack it open, they found a rather dark passageway in front of them. The orb that Jasmine held in her pocket warmed up and she withdrew it. Upon seeing the dim glow radiating from it, Jasmine turned to her companions and said, "Shall we follow the light?"

With a few laughs, they headed into the opening with Jasmine leading the way. Upon hearing a crack and all light save for that of the orb disappearing, they all turned to see the entrance covered. Cameron summed up their thoughts, "Well, it looks like forward is the only way to go."

As they began their walk through the dark, everyone save for Jasmine used lumos to provide more light.

* * *

Around ten minutes into the walk, Jasmine noticed that the air around them seemed to heat up and moisten. She began to sweat slightly and asked, "Is it me or is it getting hotter in here?"

"Not just you," Cameron had a slight pink tint on his cheeks, "It's definitely getting hotter,"

The further that the group walked, the hotter the air seemed to get. The bad thing about the heat was that it wasn't a dry heat, but a humid one. Jasmine tugged on the collar of her shirt and groaned softly, "Why is it so hot in here?"

"We should hurry up," Len suggested as he panted softly.

With a few protests, the group increased their speed.

* * *

When they finally managed to reach a lighted area, the group found themselves inside a cavern filled with steaming pools. Near the back, a large mural sat on the wall over top of a large stage-like shelf of rock. They moved around the heated pools and over to the mural. A voice sounded from nearby, "That mural tells of the events that led to the founding of High Arch."

They all turned to find a woman with bright green scales, a pair of horns coming out of her head, and pale pearl colored eyes. She looked vaguely dragon-like, but something told Jasmine that this woman wasn't of this world. As if hearing Jasmine's thoughts, the woman smiled revealing pitch black teeth, "You are correct, young Hunter. I am known as Nemu. I'm the spirit of these springs and all prospective High Arch students come through here before they take their places as students."

"And why is that?" Edric was tense and looked at Nemu with a frown on his face.

"So that you know a piece of history that has been lost," Nemu informed him before speaking to the rest of the group, "A hundred years after the Hunters came into existence, it became clear that they weren't the only ones to suffer from the demons that craved to devour them," She gestured to the mural, "It wasn't until one of the last angels appeared that a solution would save them all," She pointed to a group of people that stood around a large table, "Envoys were sent out and the leaders of each people came to this island where the Hunters informed them of the angel's solution,"

"So High Arch was made to create a school for warriors that would keep the demons at bay?" Cameron asked earning an amused look.

"Somewhat correct," Nemu shook her head lightly before saying, "High Arch was indeed created for that, but there is more to it. The more intellectual students that lack true physical ability are meant to create ways to both keep the demons away and find a way to keep them out of this world,"

"They haven't been doing the best job," Kara muttered softly.

"Mortals can only do so much," Nemu retorted, "But that's all I have to say,"

Jasmine looked at her with narrowed eyes before saying, "There is more to this."

"My, my, my the little Hunter is smarter than most," Nemu chuckled softly, "But I'll leave that to you to figure out," Nemu waved a hand and a large opening appeared on the nearby wall, "I wish you luck and hope that you figure it out,"

They began to leave, but Jasmine found herself pausing. She glanced at Nemu before asking, "Has anyone figured that out before?"

"Yes. Your cousin," Nemu smiled slightly, "You remind me of her," Jasmine looker at her curiously, "Not of your cousin, but someone else. I look forward to seeing what you can do, young Hunter,"

Jasmine watched Nemu disappeared into steam and sighed softly before following after her group. What did Nemu mean?

* * *

When they finally got into the open air, the moon was just starting to rise above the trees. They were standing on a large stone pathway and a carriage sat nearby though nothing seemed to be pulling it. Cameron headed towards it, "Let's get going, I remember dad mentioning something like this."

Without a reason not to, they followed after the ancient. A man seemingly made of smoke appeared along with a team of horses, "Welcome new comers, it's time for you to join the ranks of High Arch. Please sit still and keep all appendages in the carriage. High Arch is not responsible for any injuries that may occur if you disobey."

Before anyone could ask why, they found the carriage speeding down the path before steadily rising into the air until they were above the tree tops. Jasmine felt a rush of joy as Cameron let out a whoop, "This thing is awesome!"

It hit Jasmine as they flew over the treetops that they'd passed the exam and were now students of High Arch. Joy filled her as she grinned at the thought. She was a student at High Arch!

 **Okay before you go, I felt that this needed be said. I nearly didn't finish this in time both due to the chapter being a bitch to get out and not having much of a chance to write. Thankfully, my parents took pity on me and didn't make me baby sit my little sister today. If there are problems with the chapter, I apologize as I haven't had time to edit it. Love you guys and remember to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice:**

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

They had been flying for what felt like an hour before the ghostly driver called out, "If you look to the west, you'll get your first glimpse of High Arch."

When they all looked to the west, Jasmine felt her breath freeze in her chest. Much like the Den, High Arch was based in a mountain, but the differences were quite huge. Where the Den was looked like a huge cylinder-like building arching out of the mountain with a castle built in front of it, High Arch could only be described as a multiple spires coming out of the mountain. Even the moonlight, the stones shown a deep gold tinted white lined with obsidian. Jasmine felt Edric place a hand on her shoulder and glanced towards her cousin. He gave her a rare soft smile before returning his gaze towards the school they were about to enter. Jasmine touched his hand and looked back as well with a smile as an immense weight seemed to drop off of her shoulders. Soon, Jasmine could get stronger and reach her full potential.

* * *

The landing was a rough and sent the tired students to the floor of the carriage much to the amusement of their driver. Unfortunately for Jasmine, she ended up at the bottom of the pile. While nothing ended up breaking, Jasmine's wings felt like someone had decided to compress them until they turned to liquid. It was both painful and highly uncomfortable, so she could be excused for using her magic to send them all off of her. As they were sent away, Jasmine slowly got up and stretched her wings as a laugh sounded. Glancing towards the source, she found a girl with long silvery blonde hair and similarly colored eyes smirking at her. To be honest, Jasmine was reminded heavily of Fleur. When the girl spoke, it became clear that the girl had to be related to Fleur in some way, "That was quite the entrance, Hunter."

Jasmine stood up fully and spoke while feeling grateful to Fleur for teaching her French, "None of us were expecting the landing to be so rough."

The blonde's eyebrows rose up and she asked, "You know the language?"

"A friend of mine taught me," Jasmine dusted herself off, "Are you a new student as well?"

"Indeed," The blonde eyed her, "Are you perhaps a former Hogwarts student?"

"Does it matter?" Jasmine retorted as she picked up her bag and got off of the carriage, "I am English and thus, I am at a disadvantage compared to most students due to the views my country of origin have,"

The blonde's lips twitched and she held out her hand, "Anya Dubois. You might have met one of my cousins, Fleur Delacour."

"Ariadne Dagny also known as Eos of the Hunters," Jasmine took her hand, "Veela, full or other?"

"Three quarters," Anya replied while they shook hands, "It's a pleasure to finally meet an English dog that isn't like the others,"

"I'm not exactly an English dog anymore," Jasmine let go of Anya's hand, "I am a Hunter and that's all anyone needs to know,"

"A bit harsh, but understandable," Anya replied before turning away, "I look forward to seeing just how much you differ from your country of origin,"

With that, Anya walked back to her own carriage and Jasmine turned to begin helping the others up. Shareen snorted softly as Jasmine pulled the shifter onto her feet, "Nice way to deal with one of them. They're always uppity bitches to anyone that isn't a vampire or one of their own."

"I knew two of her cousins," Jasmine vaguely wondered how the two were doing before brushing those thoughts from her mind, "I know how to deal with Veela or at the very least, partial Veela,"

"Useful," Shareen then punched her shoulder, "That's for tossing me off,"

Jasmine offered her an apologetic smile, "You guys landed on my wings. While nothing got broken, it still hurt."

Shareen nodded with a knowing look on her face, "I understand that completely. I've had that happen a few times before, so don't worry too much about me complaining."

Shareen and Jasmine helped up everyone else before turning to look at High Arch. They were in a large cobblestone courtyard in the shade of the largest spire. Now that they were closer, Jasmine could see the faint outlines of balconies and winged forms flying high above them. A set up stone stairs backed by two large bestial statues led up to a pair of great oak doors lined by glowing runes running up and down the frame. The statues were a mix between a giant jackal and some type of large cat. It felt like they were watching Jasmine's every move and to be honest, she was a bit creeped out by it. Jasmine jolted slightly when she felt a hand on her shoulder and found Edric looking at her in concern. She smiled sheepishly and gestured to the statues, "Just a bit creepy, aren't they?"

"They're some type of golem," Cameron said from behind her, "Dad said that they were a gift to the school though he never said from who,"

Before conversation could continue, the great doors opened revealing the grinning face of Zane Mulnic, "WELCOME NEW STUDENTS! I AM YOUR HEADMASTER, ZANE MULNIC. COME INSIDE, MY DARLINGS! YOU'VE EARNED IT!"

Yup, Jasmine was heavily reminded of Luna and would have to ask someone if Zane was related to her. If so, Jasmine might actually be able to stay in contact with one of her friends from England. After all, no one paid Luna any attention since she had a habit of speaking about things that aren't there.

* * *

After entering the school, the heavily drained students were dragged straight to an immense dining room and given the chance to eat something fresh. It was no surprise that they all dove into the meal with all the grace of a starved pack of wolves. As soon as Jasmine was full, she felt sleepy enough that she could have fallen asleep where she sat. Considering the fact she'd fallen asleep and taken naps in the great hall when meals were going on, Jasmine wouldn't have even minded being made to sleep in here. Regardless, the students were escorted from the hall and led into a rather large room filled with bunk-beds. Zane gestured around them, "Tonight, you shall be given a chance to get some proper rest. Bathrooms are at the other end. Please enjoy your night, a teacher will be by in the morning to bring you to the meal room. After breakfast, you'll be taken to the testing room where we will begin the process of discovering which classes you'll be able to take and which ones will be mandatory in order for you to get into the classes you desire. If no has any questions, I will leave you to your rest and please do not fight."

No one had any questions and just ventured into the room. As soon as Jasmine got her stuff settled, she went to grab a quick shower. Kara and Shareen joined her in the bathroom soon after. Jasmine watched as the clear water turned a rather muddy brown and grimaced as she began to clean up. Kara spoke after a few minutes, "So we're going to be in for another tiring day, huh?"

"From what my big brother said, the testing last three days for each student," Shareen called over the walls separating their shower stalls, "They won't be leaving anything to chance what with how the school is,"

"Damn," Jasmine muttered softly as she began cleaning her wings, "What about the Hunter students? Do you know what happens to us since we never really got down to flying?"

"I'm fairly sure they have a special class for you guys though I can't be too sure since my brother didn't mention it," Shareen replied causing Jasmine to sigh, "Before I forget, Ariadne?"

"Just call me Ari," Nicknames weren't that hard to remember though she would have to get used to her new name.

"Ari, right," Jasmine worked on cleaning her feathers while enjoying the heat of her shower, "I've never really seen wings like yours,"

"You haven't?" Jasmine's hand's froze for a few seconds.

Shareen stuck her head out of her own shower and into Jasmine's, "No, but that-"

Jasmine froze before slowly turning around to meet Shareen's wide eyes. The shifter's eyes took in the various scars that decorated the witch turned Hunter's body. Jasmine frowned at Shareen, "Do you have to stare?"

Shareen shook her head and quickly returned to her own shower. It was quiet for a few seconds before Shareen continued speaking, "It isn't surprising that I haven't since most of my clan has the same coloring as me save for my brother. He took after our mother in that regard."

"She's right," Kara called out, "While Hunter's have a varying rang of colors and many of them are unique, the clans tend to have a set coloring to their wings though it differs each time depending on the parents. The Evans don't have quite the same coloring as yours,"

"I-i guess I'm unique," Jasmine returned to cleaning herself up.

After she finished showering and dried off, Jasmine quickly dried off and left the bathroom. When Shareen and Kara finally got out, they headed over to the bunk beds that their group had claimed. Jasmine wasn't able to look at the shifter let alone meet her eyes. As Jasmine curled up on the top bunk, she was about to fall asleep when Shareen spoke from the top bunk next to hers, "Ari...I'm sorry."

Jasmine stayed quiet for a few moments before murmuring, "You didn't know."

Shareen sighed deeply, "Still."

Jasmine turned over and looked at Shareen, "My relatives were mundanes that didn't like magic on top of my aunt being jealous of my mother being a witch."

Shareen winced, "I can't really say anything since it isn't my place," Shareen smiled at her, "Even if we just met, I want to say I'll be willing to listen if you need to talk. I might not know a lot about that kind of situation, but I'm willing to listen and try."

Jasmine found herself returning that smile, "I-I'd like that."

* * *

When morning came, Jasmine felt ready for anything and the same could be said for the other students. They were all up and ready thirty minutes before the teacher came to get them earning an amused look from the green skinned woman. She led the way to the meal room and they all began to eat. Kara was practically vibrating in her seat, "Oh, I can't wait to get started."

"Relax," Jasmine told her while filling her plate up, "They won't start until everyone has finished eating,"

"I know, but the wait is killing me," Kara groaned and pouted at Jasmine, "How are you so calm?"

Jasmine took a sip of her tea before replying, "I'm always calm when it comes to tests. If it was a quidditch game, I wouldn't be so calm."

Cameron perked up and asked, "Which position?"

"Seeker. You?" Jasmine ignored the red staining his lips and teeth.

"I'm a chaser and Len's a beater," Cameron answered while patting his brother's shoulder, "We should definitely get a group together and play a few pick up games. Of course, you would have to seal away your wings for the game,"

Jasmine nodded before remembering that she hadn't gotten her broom back, "Damn it, I didn't get my broom back."

"What do you mean?" Cameron frowned at her, "Did your parents take your broom?"

Jasmine shook her head while reminding herself that he didn't know about her orphan status, "One of my former teachers. In the chaos of the new year, I guess everyone forgot about it."

"Couldn't your parents get it back?" Cameron looked seriously confused.

Jasmine shook her head with a sad smile, "Maybe if I had them."

Cameron stared at her as realization dawned on his face, "You're an-"

Len punched him lightly and Cameron closed his mouth with a click. Shareen nudged her lightly before saying, "Well, I know what to get you for Christmas now and it won't be one of those stupid wizard made brooms either. Gryffin shifter made brooms are the best around."

Kara immediatly snorted and retorted, "You got that wrong. The Hunter made brooms are the best."

Immediately, the group around her began to argue over which brooms were the best. Apparently, each species had their own broom making companies and were damn proud of them. Jasmine stayed silent as she ate her breakfast and listened to her new friends argue about brooms. She vaguely wondered what Ron and Hermione would do if they were here. Ron would probably arguing about wizarding made brooms being the best while Hermione would be grilling the others about how their species structured their society or something along those lines. And yet, Jasmine couldn't see either of them actually being here. While Ron was a brilliant tactician, he was far too 'light' oriented to survive in a school like this and far too much of an English wizard to survive the entrance exam. While Hermione might've done well here, she was like most English magicals set in their definitions of magic and while she had a good chance at surviving the exam, Hermione would probably end up dead. While the bushy haired witch had gotten better, she was still too bossy. Not to mention, the two would quickly inform Dumbledore of her whereabouts in a misguided attempt to 'help' and 'protect' her. While Jasmine loved her first friends, she wasn't willing to let them sabotage any of her efforts. She'd come too far and tasted too much freedom to go back. Not that she ever could go back, Jasmine was a Hunter now and a Hunter she would always be.

* * *

Miles away in England, Hermione had finally joined Ron and the Weasleys at the Burrow. When Dumbledore finished explaining the situation, Hermione stared at the old man, "So Jazz just left?"

"Yes and we have no idea where she went," Molly looked at her children, "Do you have any clue as to where she might've gone?"

Ron shook his head, "Jazz never said anything about leaving."

"Then again, you haven't let any of us owl her," Ginny snapped at her mother with a glare surprising the group.

"Ginevra-" Molly began as her face turned a bit red.

Ginny cut her off, "No! You didn't see her when she was leaving the station. She didn't need to be left alone. She needed someone to help her, but no, you refused to let her stay here for the summer. You refused to take in a girl that had just lost the closest thing she had to a father and help her through it," Ginny scowled at them, "I'm sick and tired of listening to you guys. Jasmine had every right to leave like she did and it's obvious she left to clear her head."

With that said, Ginny left the wide eyed group behind and headed to the Lovegood household. The twins only nodded and followed after Ginny though they headed to their shop. While Jasmine might not be there to see it, she would eventually return and they would let her see just what her investment had caused. Hermione took a deep breath and broke the silence that had fallen over them, "I don't know where Jazz went, but I think Ginny is right. When Jazz is ready, she'll come back. I bet that she'll be back in time for the train and be in far better spirits," Hermione looked at each adult and couldn't remember seeing any of them look so guilty before, "Jazz won't miss going to Hogwarts. When we do see her again, I think it would be best to apologize to her for everything."

Ron was nodding his head along to her words and followed Hermione out of the room. They walked into the living room and Ron asked, "So where'd you think Jazz went?"

"She always wanted to travel," Hermione reminded him, "She's probably going on a world tour or something for the summer,"

"S'you really think she'll come back?" Ron asked with a frown.

Hermione rounded on him aghast, "RON! You can't just say something like that!"

Ron shook his head at her as he pointed out, "You heard Ginny, 'Mione. Jazz lost Sirius and got sent back to the Dursleys. We were forced to not contact her all summer leaving Jazz pretty much isolated. She was probably going crazy and the minute something interesting popped up, she probably jumped at the chance to leave. Do you really think she'd give up any freedom she's gained just because they want her to be safe?"

Hermione paused and actually considered his words. When Hermione thought of everything she knew about Jasmine, she felt her heart stop for a few minutes and she looked at Ron with a frown. Swallowing thickly, Hermione muttered, "I...I don't know. I just...I just don't know, Ron."

* * *

Over the next three days, Jasmine found herself pushed to her limits. On the first day, the new students were tested on their knowledge of the various branches of magic. On the second day, they were tested on their physical abilities. On the final day, they had to show the examiners every single spell they knew and the various ways they could be used. Out of all the tests, Jasmine found herself enjoying the last one. With the various end of year problems not to mention the stuff that happened during said years, Jasmine had never limited herself to using spells the way they were designed. She was incredibly proud of herself for her accomplishments and the examiners testing were pleasantly surprised by how unEnglish dog-like she was.

When the testing was finally over, they were given a day to recuperate while the teachers began structuring their schedules for the year. They were also given maps of the school and told to explore. Everyone stuck to the groups they'd taken the exam with rather than attempting to meet their fellow first years. During their exploration, Jasmine's group had come across groups of other first year students that had arrived before them. The newest groups were still stuck in their testing phase. The groups that had arrived during the first three days all turned rude as soon as it came out that Jasmine was from England. Jasmine couldn't blame them since her country of origin had some really shitty views, but it still bugged her that they turned cold and rude as soon as her country of origin was found out. As it stood, Jasmine would have to work hard in order to change their views of her and most would probably never change their views.

As her group settled down to eat dinner, Jasmine asked, "So what view do the various species have on human witches and wizards?"

"They're usually looked down on," Cameron explained, "While coming to High Arch earns you some respect, the general consensus is that humans are weak. They have to earn respect like the rest of us and work harder at gaining it,"

"So it's a good thing I'm a born Hunter," Jasmine muttered under her breath.

Shareen spoke after swallowing a rather suspicious looking piece of meat, "From what my brother says, England witches and wizards don't usually come to High Arch. If they do, they either have to be crazy powerful or skilled enough to hide their country of origin; otherwise, they'd get killed pretty fast. High Arch doesn't tolerate bigotry, so bigots tend to find themselves dead pretty quickly."

"It's a good thing you aren't like most people from England," Cameron cut in with a grin, "Otherwise, we wouldn't be friends,"

Jasmine smiled at him and nodded before changing the subject, "So what day does High Arch officially start on?"

"It tends to shift though it always starts before the autumn equinox," Kara answered after taking a sip of her beverage, "This year, it's starting on the thirteen of August. The end of the year tends to shift as well though you can always count on it being done by the day before the summer solstice,"

As soon as Shareen noticed Jasmine confusion, she explained, "Summer is filled with festivals and special holidays for most species. To keep everyone happy, High Arch leaves the summer months alone no matter what."

As soon as she heard that, Jasmine said, "I thought it was only a month of vacation for both summer and winter with two weeks in between."

Edric shook his head lightly, "That's what they tell those new to High Arch, it's to help limit the amount of idiots attempting to get it. Otherwise, a lot more people would be trying to get in. While High Arch is huge, they only want the best."

Jasmine could somewhat understand that it was still more than a little confusing. Inwardly shaking her head, Jasmine asked, "What about the winter holidays?"

"We get all of two weeks off," Shareen answered earning a raised eyebrow from Jasmine, "Basically, Summer is far more eventful than winter, so our breaks follow that. Depending on your people, you might get a few days off if there's a really important event, but that's about it,"

"Then again, High Arch is one of the best schools for a damn good reason," Cameron added with a grin, "While we maybe stuck in school for a while, we're getting the best training possible for any career we can possibly think of,"

Jasmine was still confused, but decided to just roll with it. High Arch had been around for a long time and knew what it was doing.

* * *

After the other students had arrived, the newer students had been given a key to the room that would be theirs for the duration of their time at High Arch. Of course, the newest students were assigned to room with an older student that would be their mentor. It was meant to make it easier for the mentors to help their charges, so no one could really argue about it. Jasmine looked at the door in front of her and then back down at the note in her hand. Jasmine really hoped that whoever her mentor was would be open minded like her friends. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked inside. The room was set up like a common room with two doors on either side of the room. One of them opened and a head of brownish red hair exited the room. Warm grayish gold eyes fixed on her and a rather soothing voice sounded, "Oh, you must be my charge. Come in and close the door, I'd rather not let any of the fanged menaces or tricksters with wings getting any ideas."

"Ah, sure," Jasmine fully entered the room and closed the door behind her, "I get that the 'fanged menaces' are vampires, but 'tricksters with wings'?"

A soft laugh sounded as the owner of the brownish red hair walked out of their room. He was a really tall Gryffin shifter with dark red and brown feathered lined with cloudy gray. He wore a light grey t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants. The shifter walked towards her, "I was talking about the fey. They're really tricky and I managed to piss off a few of them last year."

"Ah," Was all Jasmine could say.

The shifter chuckled, "I should probably introduce myself before I really confuse you. The names Godric Silver of the Snowclaw Gryffon shifter clan."

"You're Shareen's older brother?" Jasmine asked with wide eyes.

"Yup," Godric nodded with a curious look on his face, "How'd you know that?"

"She was apart of my group for the exam," Jasmine looked at him curiously, "How come you two don't look alike?"

"I took after our mother," Godric explained in a light tone, "She's from the Firetalon Gryffin clan near Hawaii,"

Jasmine nodded lightly before asking, "Why does the Snowclaw clan use Gryffon yet the Firetalon clan use Gryffin?"

"I guess it's a regional type thing," Godric shrugged lightly, "So what's the name of my charge?"

"Ariadne Dagny," Jasmine answered, "Also known as Eos among the Hunters,"

Godric let out a soft chuckle, "Escape of the Dawn. Very fitting considering your wings. It's a pleasure to meet you," He turned and gestured to the only door in the room that had been opened yet, "That would be your room, you should get your stuff settled."

"Right," Jasmine began walking towards her room before pausing, "What year are you in?"

"This is my third year at this school," Godric informed her, "So you're stuck with me the next 6 years,"

"Guess we should probably try to get along," Jasmine commented earning a low chuckle, "Your mentor graduated last year?"

Godric shook his head, "My mentor fucked up an experiment and ended up killing himself and a few others."

"Ah," Jasmine really didn't know what to say to that.

Godric shrugged lightly and headed back into his room. Jasmine headed to her room and carefully opened the door. The room she'd be staying in was almost exactly like the guest room she stayed in back at the Den. The only real difference was that her room was bare and only had one chair. Setting her stuff down, Jasmine got to work unpacking. By the time she was done, the room felt far more welcoming. Heading back into the common room-like room, Jasmine took the chance to actually get a good look at it. The wall directly across from the door leading to the hallway was held three rather large windows. The area not covered by the windows was covered in bookcases. On the wall where Godric's door sat, a large banked fire place sat just waiting to be used. The center of the room was dominated by a large coffee table. A rather comfortable looking couch was sat facing the towards the windows. The rest of the room held a smattering of small tables with vases on them and some comfortable looking armchairs.

Jasmine took a seat on the couch and almost groaned at how comfortable it was. Godric exited his room and chuckled, "Comfortable, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jasmine nodded lightly before spotting the rather intimidating falcon sitting on his shoulder, "A falcon?"

"This is Shiva," Godric informed her, "She's one of my familiars,"

"One of them? I thought you could only have a single familiar," Jasmine looked at the white feathers of the falcon, "She's really pretty,"

"Thanks," Godric walked over to the windows and opened one causing Shiva to take off, "She's going hunting," He closed the window before turning to her, "If you're powerful enough, you can have multiple familiars. For gryffin shifters, we usually have three. I believe Hunters usually have two though if the familiar is significantly powerful, the Hunter will only have one,"

"Interesting to know," Jasmine watched Godric walk over to the arm chair sitting across from her and plop down, "I don't have one yet,"

"You'll probably find one at some point since all High Arch students have at least one by the time they graduate," Godric looked her over, "Now, I should probably tell you the rules,"

* * *

The rules turned out to be fairly simple. There were basic rules like listen to your teachers and do any assignments your given, High Arch's rules also included, but were no limited to:

 **1) Do not steal another students things.  
** **2) If you're going to fight, avoid doing it in the halls.  
** **3) Species grudges must be left outside of High Arch.  
4) Avoid killing your fellow students.  
5) Listen to your mentor.  
6) If you're going to use any of the labs or ritual rooms, inform the teachers in charge of said rooms.  
7) Avoid interrupting experiments lest you wish to kill yourself.  
8) If an area is unstable, do not use magic in it.  
9) If you have wings, do not leave feathers everywhere if you start molting.  
10) If you have fur, avoid shedding everywhere.**

Of course, High Arch had multiple rules that were left unsaid. From what Jasmine understood, the rules were mostly common sense and if she struggled with one, she could always ask Godric.

* * *

When it was time for dinner, Godric led the way to the meal hall and informed Jasmine, "Meals are mostly buffet style and run every other hour. This is both for the more nocturnal students and the students who have classes that let out at odd times, you'll figure out how to schedule your meals by the end of the month."

Jasmine nodded as they went to get food and Godric led her to a table near the door, "Any reason for this?"

Godric gestured to the tables near the other side of the room, "The fey and vampires tend to use those tables. Not to mention, the food fights tend to start there."

"Food fights?" Jasmine asked while eyeing the front of the room.

"The teachers don't give a crap if there are food fights," Godric took a bite of his pasta, "I would suggest avoiding getting involved until you've managed to get really good at shielding charms. Our wings are big targets and people tend to target them as soon as the fight starts,"

"That's not counting the potions and other crap people put in the food," Someone said from nearby, "Yo, 'Ric. You get stuck with mentoring this year?"

Godric rolled his eyes, "Damien, you know for a fact I don't mind being a mentor. Aria, this is my best-friend and general pain in the ass, Damien Shade. Damien, this is Ariadne Dagny, she's one of the new Hunter students and my charge,"

"You love me and you know it," A man with a shock of lime green hair and orange eyes sat down next to Godric, "Nice to meet you, Ariadne. Don't let the shifter fool you, the fights are fun,"

The man had dark green skin lined with red markings that twisted and danced along his skin like live snakes. He wore a simple vest on his chest. Jasmine noticed the scales around his mouth and the fangs peaking out of his lips. Jasmine opened her mouth to say something when Shareen spoke, "I thought they would have kicked you out by now, Damien."

"Ah, the lovely Shareen. How is my favorite gryffin doing today?" Damien grinned at Shareen as she sat down beside Jasmine.

"Deciding the best way to gut a Slyvern," Shareen dead panned.

Damien pouted at her, "So mean and here I thought we were getting along."

Shareen rolled her eyes before looking at Jasmine, "Slyvern are one of the humanoid snake people. They're the more human-like cousins of the lamia."

Jasmine nodded before turning to Damien, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're from England aren't you?" Damien asked earning a slight nod from Jasmine, "You aren't like most people that come from there, right?"

"Of course she isn't," Shareen glared at Damien, "I wouldn't be friends with her if she was,"

Damien nodded and grinned at Jasmine, "I look forward to getting to know you. By any chance are you a parseltongue?"

Jasmine hesitated as she remembered how everyone had reacted when that ability had first come out. She knew this wasn't England and it might be diffrent here. Swallowing, Jasmine admitted, "I am though I haven't spoke in awhile."

"I don't blame you," Damien shook his head with a sigh, "Most idiots from England view as dark and thus not an ability to be cherished, you won't find the same disapproval as parseltongue are cherished,"

"Especially in India and Australasia," Godric said as Shareen nodded, "Parseltongue's are a hot commodity in areas where snakes are common. Not to mention, they can act as translators for the snake-based species that aren't capable of human speech,"

Jasmine let that information sink in as she took a bite of her pasta. It would mean that Jasmine wouldn't have to fear anyone rejecting her if they found out about her ability. Some doubt still lingered since Dumbledore had thought her ability came from Voldemort. Frowning slightly, Jasmine asked, "How could you tell I was a parseltongue?"

"Parseltongues have a specific scent that only snakes can smell," Damien informed her after swallowing his bite of rather questionable looking stew, "Any snake worth their scales would know the scent of a parseltongue,"

"Can the ability be shared?" Jasmine asked earning a soft snort.

Damien shook his head, "Parseltongue is an ability passed down the line. You can't give it to someone else."

So someone in Jasmine's family was a parseltongue and never told anyone, Jasmine could understand. With how English magicals were, it wasn't surprising that any parseltongues hide themselves especially in recent years what with Voldemort. The question is, who did Jasmine get her ability from?

* * *

The first day of classes started before dawn. Jasmine quite quickly found out that Godric was very much a morning person. While Jasmine didn't mind getting up early due to it being the first day of classes and all, she was more than a little miffed about it being before the sun even rose. While during Kaze had bouts of waking them up way before dawn for various exorcises, Jasmine had thought she wouldn't have to deal with that until winter break. She was horribly wrong and Godric was not even a little apologetic. In revenge, Jasmine had hit him with a color changing charm.

Godric had been a little miffed if only because the charm had to wear off due to Jasmine putting in a little bit more power than she was supposed to. While he would have been fine with most colors, Godric was not a fan of glitter or pink. Godric had gotten back at her for the color change charm by forcing Jasmine through her morning exorcises three seperate times. By the time the sun came up and they finally went to breakfast, Jasmine's wings felt like lead weights and her body felt like someone had used her as a punching bag. She ate her breakfast very slowly as Shareen and her other friends came into the meal hall. Each of them looked far more well rested than her. Shareen took one look at Jasmine and commented, "So Big bro did his whole 'wake up to train before dawn' thing."

"She over powered the color changing charm," Godric informed his little sister earning a loud snicker.

"Ow," Was all Jasmine could say.

"So when do we get our schedules?" Kara asked while giving Jasmine a sympathetic look.

"Should be fairly soon," Godric eyed the group, "Where are your mentors?"

"They split as soon as we got down here," Cameron informed the shifter, "Apparently, they had better things to do,"

Godric shook his head lightly before offering, "If you guys need anything and your mentor is busy, you can come to me so long as I'm not in the middle of a project."

"Thank you," Len said as Cameron and the others were a bit busy eating the admittedly delicious breakfast.

"At least someone is taking their mentoring duties seriously," A familiar voice spoke from behind Jasmine.

"Of course, Professor Lykos," Godric nodded to the professor, "They are my sister's friends as well, so I can't very well allow them to die,"

"One of the reasons I like you," Lykos said before glancing at Jasmine, "I assume by your charge's state she's the one responsible for your rather interesting coloring this morning?"

"Yes," Godric nodded with a grimace.

Lykos chuckled and handed everyone a sheet of paper containing their classes, "Before I go, I wish to impart some knowledge on our Hunters," Jasmine, Edric, and Kara looked at him, "Brigid is quite alright and the demon has been taken care of. She is also immensely pleased with how you did," Jasmine smiled upon hearing that, "If you'll excuse me, I have more schedules to give out."

With that, Lykos disappeared and Jasmine blinked as Cameron muttered, "Damn."

"Hm?" Jasmine looked at him and Cameron flushed slightly.

"I didn't realize the rumors about Lykos being close to the Lady Artemis were true," Cameron answered earning a raised eyebrow from Jasmine.

"What rumors?" Jasmine asked feeling better.

Cameron shifted slightly as everyone looked at him, "Well," He looked more than a little sheepish, "I'd heard that Lykos was the Lady Artemis' consort-"

Snorts echoed from the three Hunters and Cameron looked at them in confusion. Jasmine shook her head lightly, "Lykos isn't her consort. He's a dear friend of hers. If there were anything serious like consorts and stuff, she'd have told me."

Immediately, Jasmine gained the interest of the non-Hunters around her. Glancing at Edric, she noticed the amused look on his face and almost scowled at him. Edric spoke softly, "Ari and I are cousins to Brigid. She's claimed us as kin."

"So we would definitely know if our cousin had a consort," Jasmine added earning a nod from Edric, "As far as we know, she doesn't have one. Even if she did, it wouldn't be Lykos,"

"And you're sure about that?" Cameron pressed earning a nod from the duo and groaned, "Damn, I'm going to lose that bet with Dax,"

Len patted his shoulder in sympathy while rolling his eyes. Jasmine glanced over her schedule and said, "Looks like Elemental magic is up first for me."

"Same," Shareen said after looking at her schedule, "What do you have after?"

"Rune magic," Jasmine looked over her schedule carefully, "Then I have Creature magic,"

Godric glanced over his schedule before saying, "I can lead you to elemental magic since my weapon creation class is in the same spire. We'll have to leave soon though since it's a bit far."

* * *

The Elemental magic class room was settled in one of the outer spires which were the smallest ones. The classroom had no furniture save for a single black board and a set of bookshelves. The only thing that the students could sit on was the ground which was thankfully soft. The roof over the blackboard had caved in at some point and never been repaired, so the room had a natural sky light. The most interesting thing about the room had to be the basins settled all around the room. The various elements floated above them and provided a rather interesting effect on the natural light in the room. To put it shortly, Jasmine thought that the room looked like someone had managed to trap a rainbow in the room. Jasmine and Shareen took a seat in a section of the room covered in a mixture of yellow colors. They settled down together and Jasmine asked, "Any idea on how this will go?"

"The teacher will more than likely help us figure out which element we're aligned with and which ones will be easiest to use," Shareen answered earning a nod from Jasmine as their fellow students began to fill the room, "Shifters from my clan tend to have either an air or ice alignment with a smattering of storm alignments. Godric ended up with Mom's magma alignment which was lucky since he's always liked forging. I'm hoping for an ice alignment,"

Jasmine blinked slightly before saying, "I'm not sure what kind of alignment I want."

Shareen nodded lightly, "That's alright since you're from a rather blind country, I'm not surprised. However, Hunter's tend to have a wide array of elemental alignments though the clans tend to stick to one or two alignments. Which clan are you from?"

"The Evans," Jasmine replied.

Shareen glanced towards her wings, "Huh, I'm surprised since they tend to have more red coloring, but eh," Shareen shrugged before placing her head on her hand, "Hm...I think they tend to have fire alignments though a few have storm and light alignments. However, alignments aren't set in stone, so you could have a completely diffrent alignment."

"Noted," Jasmine murmured softly.

At that moment, the breeze that had been blowing through the air turned into a whirlwind causing multiple people to cry out and cover their eyes. Jasmine used her wing to shield her eyes as the sound of heavy wing beats filled the air. When it faded, Jasmine carefully moved her wing and looked towards the front of the room as whispers broke out. A gasp tore itself from her throat at the sight of the humanoid dragon standing at the front of the room. They wore a thick beaded necklace around their neck and a black monk-like robe with bell-like sleeves. They were covered in light green scales and had bright red eyes that looked around the room carefully. They opened their mouth and spoke in a feminine voice, "Well, well, well what do we have here? A new class of aspiring elementalists. While you do not look like much now, I believe that I can work with you."

 **End.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice:**

* * *

Chapter Seven

* * *

Whispers broke out with Shareen muttering, "Brudrian."

The teacher spoke again, "My name is Calidora and I will be your teacher in all things elemental," She eyed the room, "In this class, I will teach you to unlock your inner elementalist and become one with the element you're aligned with. I can teach you how to create an devastating storm with a whistle. I can teach you how to raise a forest from a single seed. I can teach you how to create oceans out of deserts and how to turn a ice field into a volcano. With the elements at your finger tips, you can do any number of those things," Everyone leaned forward with eager looks on their faces, "Like with every magic, you must learn how to control yourselves lest you cause devastation. If you listen to me and practice every moment you can, you might actually become a master of your elemental alignment."

Whispers broke out and Shareen whispered, "Mistress Calidora, the former high mage of the Brudrian empire. She's one of the first elementalists. Oh, this is going to be so fucking awesome."

Calidora looked at each of them, "Quite a rang of species this year, I'm somewhat surprised considering last years incident, but ah well. Now, I suppose it would be best to do roll call and put names to faces before we begin."

Jasmine looked at Shareen as the shifter practically vibrated, "Brudrian empire?"

"About three thousand years ago, the Brudrian empire came into existence," Shareen informed her, "The Brudrains ruled over a good bit of what's now Asia and the middle east. They were forced out of power about two thousand years ago during either the second or third great war,"

"And she's been around since then?" Jasmine asked while turning to look at Calidora.

"Yeah," Shareen replied as Calidora called out Jasmine's name.

Jasmine watched the other students as they looked at her and stared at her wings with wide eyes. Jasmine ignored them and looked at Shareen, "So when you say she's one of the first elementalists..."

Shareen grinned brightly, "She practically helped create this whole branch of magic."

"Damn," Was all Jasmine could say.

* * *

Jasmine looked at the clear rock in her hands before looking up at Calidora as she spoke, "These stones are what we will use to determine your elemental alignment, I will call out your name and you will push some of your magic into the stone. Depending on what occurs, you will be placed in a group with others that share your alignment. I would suggest getting to know one another as you'll be spending most of the class with them unless we're working on other elements."

Shareen spoke softly, "The stone will light up with images of your element. Mistress Calidora will know what it is even if you don't."

Finally, Jasmine's name was called and she swallowed before pushing a small amount of her magic into the stone. It was flooded with a mixture of reddish orange, goldish white, and a small amount of icy blue. Calidora seemed slightly surprised by the result, "A tri elemental. You'll be working with the fire, air, and ice elementalists. Seeing as your fire and wind elements are the strongest, we will be focusing on those. See me after your classes are over for the day."

Jasmine looked at Shareen, but the shifter shrugged, "Don't look at me, I have no idea what she wants."

As Jasmine tried to figure out what Calidora wanted to talk about, she listened for Shareen's name. When Calidora called out Shareen, the shifter ended up overloading the stone in her excitement. Calidora only laughed softly and handed her another. The embarrassed shifter did it right and the stone turned a stormy looking grey with icy blue swirls mixed in. Calidora hummed softly, "Duel elemental. You'll be working with the storm and ice elemental groups."

Calidora moved on while Shareen looked at her stone with surprise. Jasmine touched her shoulder after a few seconds of hesitation, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Shareen shook her head lightly, "Just didn't expect that, my clan doesn't really touch on storm magics,"

"Looks like you'll change that," Jasmine said earning a slight smile.

"Yeah," Shareen put the stone in her bag.

"We can keep these?" Jasmine asked while glancing down at her stone.

Shareen nodded as she looked around the room, "Since no one save for us will ever be able to use them, yeah. It's one of the souvenirs we get to keep from this class. My brother keeps his stone somewhere in his room while my parents have theirs on the mantle."

Jasmine put hers away as the last student discovered their element. Calidora spoke when everyone had settled down, "As today is the first lesson, we will not be doing much aside from going over the general rules for my class and instructions on how to do things safely. I do not advise you to practice with your elements until after a class or two as you won't be able to properly control yourself. Any questions before we begin?"

No one said anything and Calidora began to speak again.

* * *

Jasmine and Shareen found Godric waiting outside of the room. Godric looked at them and asked, "Elements?"

"Fire, air, and ice," Jasmine told him, "I have to come back and see Calidora once I've finished my classes for the day,"

"Noted," Godric looked at his sister.

"Storm and ice," Shareen shifted slightly as Godric stared at her with slightly wide eyes.

"There hasn't been a storm alignment in the clan since Grandfather died," Godric smiled lightly at her, "Mom and dad will be happy. I'm sure mom'll send some of Grandfather's things over to help you,"

Shareen smiled at him in return, "Thanks, bro," She took out her schedule, "Do you know where the Arithmancy classes are?"

"Near the Rune classes," Godric told her, "Just follow us and I'll direct you to your class,"

* * *

Jasmine found herself in one of the middle spires and in a medium sized classroom beneath the earth's surface. Apparently, it was safer for everyone that the rune and magical math subjects were below ground. Regardless, Jasmine settled down near the back of the class as Edric entered with Len. They both sat down with her and Jasmine asked, "Cameron isn't a fan of runes?"

Len shook his head lightly, "He is horrible at remembering them. Somehow, he can do Arithmancy without any problems."

Jasmine blinked before shrugging. Edric sighed softly, "I just hope this class goes better than my other one."

"Didn't you have intro to healing?" Jasmine asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Edric looked a little annoyed, "My whole class is full of idiots. None of them have any experience in healing save for one or two people. It's frustrating," He sighed before asking, "What about you?"

"Learned that I'm a tri-elemental, I have fire, air, and ice as my elements," Jasmine watched as Edric gave her a startled look and Len just nodded, "What's wrong?"

"There hasn't been a tri-elemental Evans since Brigid was born," Edric shook his head, "You're going to get a lot of attention once the council finds out about it,"

"Why?" Jasmine asked with a frown.

Edric only shook his head again, "Not here, it's Hunter business."

Jasmine opened her mouth before closing it as she noticed Edric's serious look. Inwardly sighing, Jasmine wondered just how else her life was going to suck.

* * *

Rune class turned out to be fairly fun and even more useful than she'd thought. Apparently, it would help in almost all her classes with the most important ones being blood magic and weapon creation. Jasmine soon found herself in a building that was built off of one of the smaller spires. It functioned as a stable and containment area for almost all the animals on the property. Jasmine found herself without any of the friends she'd made. She did have the class with Lupa, who she learned was called Tsuki Akiyama. The wolf-like girl looked more than a little pissed at seeing her there, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you," Jasmine inwardly winced at the absolutely frigid look being sent at her.

The girl snarled at her and walked off. A low laugh sounded from nearby and Jasmine turned to find a boy standing there. He had fiery red orbs that practically glowed with amusement and obsidian edged amethyst colored hair. He was almost as tall as Lykos and had a stocky build. He wore a rather expensive looking black leather jacket and a pair of ripped jeans. He wore a rather nice looking pair of motorcycle boots and a thin looking grey t-shirt. He spoke with an amused rumble, "So you Hunters don't all get along."

Jasmine snorted softly, "Who always gets a long?"

"Point taken," He smirked at her, "Names Adrian Night and you are?"

"Ariadne Dagny," Jasmine replied earning a snort.

"You know that no one can lie to a drayden, right?" Adrian asked making Jasmine's eyes widen and she gained a panicked look, "Don't worry, I won't say anything. After all, it's a tradition of sorts for students to come here under alias. I assume you're planning on taking that name once your schooling is over?"

Jasmine relaxed before shrugging, "Haven't decided that just yet."

Adrian walked over to her and leaned forward making Jasmine back up slightly as he took a deep breath, "Interesting scent ya got there, I-"

"Alright dearies!" A shrill voice called out and everyone turned only to stare at the speaker.

"Oh Drak," Adrian muttered underneath.

Jasmine couldn't tell if the speaker was a man or a woman. They had a rather androgynous form and had chin length bubble gum pink hair. Bright florescent pink eyes stared at them behind a pair of gaudy looking glasses that made Skeeter's look amazing. They had dark pink almost red colored skin covered in emerald green tattoos that looked like vines. They wore a what looked like a fighting gi colored to look like camouflage. They smiled revealing brown almost black teeth that resembled the thorns on a rose. They spoke again, "Welcome to my class! My name is Aspen Hornfield. You may call me Aspen."

Jasmine muttered, "I can't tell what gender they are."

"Neither can I," Jasmine looked at him as Adrian said, "And I'm a drayden. I should be able to smell what gender they are,"

Aspen spoke up, "Now, if you'll follow me, we'll get right to it."

Someone spoke up from near the corner of the room, "W-what?! Aren't you going to call roll?"

"Why bother when a good portion of you will be dead by the time we finish this first class?" Aspen asked with a truly disturbing smile on their face.

* * *

Jasmine tried not to flinch as a lion ran towards her with a snarl on it's face. Aspen thought it would be fun to lock them in an arena type set up and let loose a shit ton of animals. The only way any of them would make it out of this was if they somehow managed to make a connection with the animal in question. Already, the class of forty had been reduced to a class of 15. Hearing a scream, Jasmine winced and mentally changed that to 14. The lion let out a roar and Jasmine ducked it's slashing claws before taking off for cover. She got behind one of the rocks and laid her back against it as she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She froze as a growl sounded close to her. Slowly, she turned her head and found a glowering wolf not even five feet away from her. Swallowing, Jasmine met it's eyes and felt herself go still as something seemed to resonate with her. Jasmine was dimly aware of someone shouting, "Get this fucking thing away from me!"

Jasmine ignored it as she slowly reached out to touch the wolf. It seemed to freeze for a few seconds before relaxing while leaning into her touch. Jasmine felt something rush over her. It was cold, yet hot with a warm echo that seemed to twist around everything. The scent of a forest in summer with a soft breeze wafting through the trees filled her nose. Warm sunlight shone on the pelt covering her powerful muscles, she could feel her heart beat steady in her chest as her paws crashed into the ground. Beneath the scent of the trees, she could smell a delicious musky scent that made her stomach rumble. Following after it, Jasmine found herself in a large open clearing where a herd of deer were gathered. Slowly, she looked at each of them before picking out the weakest one and darting towards it. The herd panicked and bolted, but the one she'd chosen didn't have enough time to get away. Just as she was about to sink her powerful jaws into it's neck, Jasmine gasped and found herself staring into hazel eyes tinted with yellow.

The wolf stepped back and bowed lightly. Jasmine returned the bow slowly while taking in the wolf. It was just a little smaller than a hippogriff with dapple grey fur and a super bushy tail. It's fur was a bit shaggy, but seemed well taken care of. It raised itself and nodded to her before disappearing through an opening that Jasmine hadn't noticed before. Turning her head as she heard a ringing sound, Jasmine saw Aspen grinning, "Great work everyone! You eight are definitely the biggest group I have ever had the privilege to teach. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Jasmine looked around and found all the animals gone. Bodies lay on the ground in various positions with pieces scattered around in pools of blood. Jasmine felt her stomach turn and covered her mouth as bile rose up. She heard someone puking, but ignored it as another person shouted, "Why the fuck would you do this to us?"

Aspen spoke as Jasmine forced herself to look at them, "Because, while everyone has the potential to use creature magic, they also have the potential to misuse it and the potential to be terrible at it. I do this to ensure that the first has the smallest amount of chances to occur and the second to hopefully never happen. Of course, you'll find that both can and will occur sometimes, but that is the way life is."

Jasmine swallowed heavily before asking, "What now?"

"Now?" Aspen looked at her, "My dear Hunter, I take roll and let you leave early. Someone will be down to piece together these bodies and identify them before sending them off to their families. I will be heading up to the headmaster to inform him about what has occurred," Aspen then looked at everyone left alive, "I would suggest that you keep in mind what animal you connected with as they will be the creature you'll work with for awhile,"

* * *

Godric was waiting outside the arena and grimaced as he saw how pale Jasmine was, "Should have warned you about that, Aspen is the worst teacher to get for creature magic."

Jasmine shook her head lightly, "I-it's fine."

"Which animal did you get?" Godric asked as they begin to walk towards the spires.

"A wolf," Jasmine replied while thinking back to it, "I...Somehow, I became it,"

Godric let out a light laugh, "That's how you know you're connected to a creature, the first time you touch it you'll get a vision of sorts," Godric looked at her, "After you get done speaking with Calidora, we'll head up to our dorm. The first time is always a bit jarring, so you'll probably fall asleep as soon as you sit down."

"Right," Jasmine looked at him, "What was your first animal?"

"A field hound," Godric flushed lightly as Jasmine stared at him in shock, "It surprised the hell out of me as well, but it was worth it. The abilities I gained from him were amazing," Jasmine nodded slightly, "I'll help you out when I can, but creature magic is pretty much self-study after a certain point,"

"Noted," Jasmine felt her head start to ache, "Am I supposed to get a headache?"

"Yeah. I'll see if I can't find one of my headache reliefs when we get back to the dorm," Godric smiled lightly and Jasmine found herself returning it.

* * *

Calidora was messing with her bookshelves when Jasmine and Godric entered the room. She looked up and Jasmine would admit that a brudrian's smile had to be one of the scariest things she'd seen before. Calidora focused on Godric, "Godric, I am pleased to see that you managed to survive yet another summer vacation. I am rather eager to see how much stronger your control is."

"Mom worked with me," Godric replied with a soothing smile on his face, "She said to tell you hi and that you're always welcome in our home,"

"I will have to visit next break when I have time," Calidora replied before looking at Jasmine, "Ms. Dagny please take a seat,"

"Better not," Godric said earning a curious look from Calidora, "She just had a class with Aspen,"

Calidora shook her head lightly, "Why they have that nut job, I will never know. Alright, Ms. Dagny, I'll make this quick seeing as you've just had to deal with Aspen," She turned back to her bookshelves and looked around before plucking off a book, "Seeing as you have three elemental alignments, you'll have a tougher time than most using elements other than the ones you're aligned to. This book," She held it out to Jasmine prompting the girl to approach her, "Will explain the reasons why and how to over-come them. I have ordered a second one of these and once it comes in, you'll be returning that to me."

"Thank you," Jasmine took the book from Calidora earning a smile from the brudrian, "But wouldn't it be easier to just have me check it out of the library?"

"And make you go through that mess that they call an organization and probably never find it? No," Calidora walked over to another bookcase, "I expect that you'll return that book to me in the same condition as it is now. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jasmine nodded rapidly.

"Good," Calidora glanced at her, "That's all for now, I expect you to use Godric as your source of information before coming to me with anything he can't answer," She waved at her, "Now go, I'd rather not have you fainting in my class,"

Jasmine and Godric left quickly. Jasmine was silent for a few moments before commenting, "You're rather close to her."

"Calidora is a good friend of my mom's family," Godric explained as they walked, "My mom's family are heavily embroiled in the elementalist guild, so they tend to spend a lot of time with her. Calidora was around a lot when I was growing up since my mom was working a on a project that required some extra help," Godric smiled lightly, "Shareen has a bit of hero worship going on as you no doubt know,"

"Yeah," Jasmine remembered the awe in Shareen's voice, "Is she always like that? Shareen?"

"Sometimes," Godric let out a light laugh, "My sister was rescued by Calidora during a severe storm when she was still a toddler. Ever since then, she's looked at Calidora as her hero,"

Jasmine yawned softly as her vision seemed to shift and her world begin to spin. She stumbled slightly, but Godric managed to keep her from falling. Pressing a hand to her forehead, Jasmine asked, "Why is the world spinning?"

"That would be the taxing part of your first creature magic lesson hitting you," Godric looked down at her, "Do you think you can walk?"

Jasmine nodded only to regret it as her stomach churned. She pressed a hand to her mouth and muttered, "Nope."

"Best let me carry you," Godric picked her up with ease into a bridal style carry, "Just relax,"

Jasmine opened her mouth to say something only to find herself yawning. With increasingly heavy eyelids, Jasmine's head fell against Godric's shoulder as the shifter began to walk. His smooth gait began to lull her to sleep and Jasmine found herself murmuring, "Why?"

"You're my charge and my sister's friend, so I can't let you walk around when you're clearly unable to," Godric replied while looking down at her with amusement, "If you're scared of me dropping you, you don't have to worry since I'm not planning on it,"

Jasmine yawned again as her eyes began to fall shut, "Never been carrier like this, 's nice."

Godric's smooth gait froze for a few seconds before continuing. Jasmine was tempted to comment, but blackness seemed to fill her eyes. As she blinked slowly, Jasmine heard Godric murmur, "There's a first time for everything, I suppose."

"Thank you," Jasmine mumbled before losing the battle against sleep.

* * *

Zane looked at Aspen as the dryad finished speaking. Part of him was tempted to blast them, Aspen always managed to kill a majority of his students each year without fault. Zane refrained from doing so as he reminded himself of just how skilled his students became by the time they graduated. Taking a deep breath, Zane asked, "And what of Dagny?"

"She found a connection with Storm," Aspen sounded more than a little excited while Zane felt his stomach drop.

"Storm? A you completely sure it was him?" Zane demanded while mentally panicking.

If there was one creature of the bunch that Zane loathed to the core of his being, it was Storm. The alpha wolf was troublesome in every way and ill tempered with everyone save for his master. The only reason Zane had even allowed the wolf to continue living at the school was due to him being bonded to Aspen. It was a sin to even think of separating a familiar from it's master as it caused unbearable pain on both sides that got worse as time went on. Oh, Brigid was going to kill him when she learned of just who her newest cousin ended up finding a connection with. Zane barely managed to pull himself out of his thoughts only to plunge into despair as Aspen nodded with a wicked grin, "Yup! Oh, her essence is so strong and addictive. I can see why Gabriel had such a hard time keeping himself from draining her when he got a taste of her blood."

Zane let out a groan and slammed his head into the desk, "Damn it. Brigid is going to kill me. She's going to take out my organs one by one until I'm just about to die before healing me and doing it all over again. Only when she's tires of it will she allow me to die, I going to burn. Why?" Zane raised his head to look at Aspen, "Why did you have him in the test?"

"Storm felt something," The Dryad shrugged lightly, "Don't know what you expect me to do when he does,"

"Aspen, I'm going to die because of you!" Zane nearly shouted at the being.

Aspen shook their head, "The phoenix won't kill you. She'll just torture you for a bit. She knows that you're the best headmaster we've ever had."

"Still," Zane groaned softly before freezing as a thought came to him, "Aspen, you get to tell Gabriel about what happened,"

That statement had the dryad freezing with a look of horror on his face, Zane inwardly crackled before sending the dryad out of his office with a wave of his hand. Zane might be getting killed by Brigid for delivering the news, but Aspen would get killed by Gabriel. After all, they had all been warned by Gabriel to ensure that Jasmine survived though the ancient hadn't said why. Zane leaned back against his chair and wondered on why Gabriel would take an interest in Jasmine. While the girl was interesting, she didn't warrant the interest Gabriel showed in her. So why?

* * *

The next day of classes dawned with Jasmine's first blood-magic lesson. Jasmine walked in with Cameron and Len. Adrian was in the room when they arrived and greeted Jasmine, "Ariadne, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"You as well," Jasmine smiled lightly at him, "Adrian, this is Cameron and Len David," Jasmine looked at her two friends, "Guys, this is Adrian Night,"

"A pleasure to meet you," Adrian smirked at the two.

Cameron grinned at him, "Nice to meet you two! How do you know Ari?"

"Creature Magic," Adrian and Jasmine said in the same dry tone making the duo look at one another.

Adrian smirk turned into a slight smile before he said, "We should take our seats before they run out. Blood magic is one of the more popular classes regardless of the amount of deaths that occur."

Jasmine frowned slightly, but went to take a seat near the back of the class with the three guys following after. Adrian took a seat on her right and commented, "Your wings are a bit unique. Which clan are you from?"

"Evans," Jasmine pulled out a notebook, "What other classes are you taking?"

"Creature magic, obviously," Adrian chuckled slightly, "I'm also taking a class of thread magic, potions, warding, and a few others," Adrian leaned back against his seat, "Why did you choose blood magic? Not to be offensive, but don't people from your country usually hate anything classified as 'dark',"

Frowning, Jasmine opened her note book and took out a pen, "Blood magic is useful and I've never really bought into the shit that my teachers were spouting about magic being classified into two categories. Which animal did you get?"

"Lyra," Adrian replied with a slightly sheepish expression on his face, "Sorry if I offended you, I'm just a bit curious,"

Jasmine nodded lightly while recalling what she knew about Lyra. They're one of the few cat-based magical creatures that were mainly cat shaped. It along with the jaquin are the most notable. Lyra were more based on leopards while jaquin were based on jaguars. Jasmine was interested in both and planned on learning their creature magic. Glancing at Adrian, Jasmine said, "I got a wolf."

"Heh, didn't expect that," Adrian blinked at her, "I honestly expected you to get a cat,"

"Happens," Jasmine looked at the door as it slammed open to admit a pale looking man with silvery scars lining his face.

Jasmine took note of the elfin ears and long sinewy body with the realization of her teacher in blood magic being a high elf. If the elf's coloring were to say anything, he was from one of the clans in the north. The white hair and silver sheen on his brown eyes were a heavy indicator along with his pale features. He scanned the class as he strode down to the front of the lecture hall style classroom, "Welcome to Introduction to Blood Magic, my name is Fern Snowsail and I will be your teacher until break."

Jasmine shifted slightly as Adrian muttered, "A northern high elf? Joy of fucking joys."

A low chuckle sounded from the teacher, "Ah Mister Night, I see that you've managed to make it into High Arch despite the rather pitiful actions of your clansmen," Fern glanced at Adrian as the boy froze, "I do hope you prove to be a good student or yet another of your clan will be dead before the year is out."

Adrian grit his teeth and looked like he wanted nothing more than to rip off the teachers head. Rather than doing anything of the sort, Adrian bit out, "I will be doing my best, _Professor_."

And that sounded exactly like how she did when speaking with Snape. A story was there and Jasmine hoped she'd learn it soon. Fern turned to the black board at the front and began to write, "Alright class, I see that all seats are filled by the correct number of students, so I won't bother with roll call. I am fully aware that some of you will be dead by the end of the year and even more of you will be dead before you complete your studies here. As such, I will not learn your names until you manage to prove yourselves."

Adrian growled under his breath and muttered, "Pompous asshole."

"And it looks like we have our first volunteer," Fern turned to look at Adrian as everyone did the same, "Mister Night, what are the three core lessons every blood mage must know?"

Adrian glared at Fern, but replied, "Any mistake will kill you no matter how minor. The larger the scheme means the longer and more detailed it will be. The last would be to never apply blood magic on another as it will kill not only the one it's being placed on, but you as well."

"The first and last are very much correct," Fern smirked at Adrian as the drayden bared his fangs, "The second however is not correct. What Mister Night was suppose to say," Adrian growled at Fern, "As you get deeper into blood magic, your schemes will get longer and more complex. In order to accommodate that, you must choose your schemes carefully," Fern turned back to the blackboard, "The first one is mostly correct as mistakes will kill you. Some schemes have room for mistakes, but it is advised to keep from making them. Now, I wish to know if anyone here has already begun using blood magic,"

It took a few seconds, but two students stood up. Fern gestured to them and Jasmine watched with slightly wide eyes as most of their clothes came off. The two girls let out squeals of shock and outrage. The one on the left shouted, "What the hell was that for?!"

"In order to properly gauge your understanding of blood magic, I need to see it," Fern replied while eyeing the two, "Not bad, but it's quite clear neither of you have any formal training in runes. They'll work, but might interfere with any blood magic you attempt to apply to those parts of your bodies," Fern waved his hand and the girls were covered in their clothes once more, "A warning to you all. The ritual rooms we use for blood magic have one way mirrors that will allow anyone walking by to view the rituals. Seeing as clothing interferes with blood magic when you're placing it on yourself, you cannot wear any clothing whatsoever. If you have a problem with this, you can walk out of this class and never return. Propriety is all well and good, but useless when it causes accidents that will kill you,"

A few of the students stood up and walked out with slightly red faces. Jasmine heard Adrian mutter, "Pussies."

Fern began to speak as the door closed behind them, "Now, I will begin to teach you about the various rune schemes that are used in blood magic. Next class, we will shift our focus to the knives we need. At that point, we will head to one of the many armories where we will attempt to pair you with a ritual knife you'll be using for your first few rituals. Any questions?"

Jasmine raised her hand and Fern nodded to her, "Does that mean we will be making personal ritual knives?"

"Once you get proficient, you'll require something that will fit the ritual," Fern looked at her carefully, "As a result, a unique knife will be needed. While it is encouraged to make your own ritual knife, you should attempt to find one in the armory before attempting to make one. It won't be until next year at the very least that any ritual you do will require a personal ritual knife," Jasmine nodded while writing that down, "And what might your name be?"

Gasps and snickers sounded from around her, Jasmine shifted uneasily, but replied, "Ariadne Dagny, Sir."

"Ah, you're the one that Gabriel and the others have been speaking about," Fern nodded his head lightly, "I look forward to see how well you do in this class,"

With that said, Fern launched into the lesson while quite a few of the students gave her puzzled or jealous looks.

* * *

Adrian looked at her as they left the blood magic classroom, "You know Gabriel Lykos?"

"Yes, he was the one they sent to get me from England," Jasmine looked around for Godric, "Why does it matter?"

"Lykos is one of the best mages in the world despite his being an ancient," Adrian licked his lips lightly, "He's one of the few beings that have managed to create a treaty with the Hunters. He's one of the greatest warriors of all time and every species respects/fears him,"

"Are you a fan of his?" Jasmine asked feeling slightly surprised by Adrian's sudden lack of chill.

"Of course," Adrian rolled his eyes, "Lykos is amazing and it's a dream of mine to become a master of the arts like him one day," He sighed lightly, "Though that's probably a pipe dream seeing as he's so powerful,"

Jasmine attempted to figure out how to console him only to come up empty. Due to her background, she wasn't very good with emotions. The emotions she experienced around the Dursleys were definitely ones that didn't fit this situation. Rubbing the back of her neck, Jasmine said, "If drayden live as long as I've read, you have plenty of time to become a master of magic like him."

"Very true," Adrian smirked looking much better, "I just have to work hard. It shouldn't take more than six hundred years to catch up to him,"

Jasmine blinked slightly as she calculated that. Depending on the clan and type of dragon, the drayden usually live to be around a thousand years old though certain ones were known to live far longer than that one. Jasmine remembered reading about a drayden that had lived for over 50,000 years and even then, they didn't know their real age. Godric chose that moment to approach, "Ariadne, how was class?"

"Interesting," Jasmine waved a hand to Adrian, "Godric, meet Adrian Night. He's in my creature magic and blood magic classes. Adrian, meet Godric Silver. He's my mentor and one of my friend's older brothers,"

"Nice to meet you," Godric held out his hand and Adrian looked at it before taking the shifter's hand.

"You as well," Adrian moved back once Godric released his hand, "I gotta go find my next class. See you later, Ariadne,"

Adrian left quickly leaving Jasmine wondering about what had him running off before deciding it didn't matter. Turning to Godric, Jasmine asked, "So weapon creation?"

* * *

Jasmine almost turned around from how hot the room was and could see a few students chugging water bottles. Jasmine found Edric already standing there and talking to a bemused looking brown haired girl. She looked fully human and had beetle black eyes with a slight tan. Jasmine walked up as Edric turned to her, "Ah, Ariadne. This is Cat Summers, she's in my potions class. Cat, this is Ariadne Dagny. She's my cousin and a fellow Hunter. How was your last class?"

"It was nice though I've got a bit of studying to do if I want to ingrain the information into my mind," Jasmine replied earning a soft laugh from Cat, "It's nice to meet you,"

"You as well," Cat replied and Jasmine immediatly realized that the witch was American, "English,"

"American," Jasmine replied before holding out a hand, "How about we ignore our countries of origin like everyone else in the school?"

"No problem," Cat replied with a slight laugh, "I'm from LA,"

"I'm have no clue where I was born, but I grew up in Surrey," Jasmine glanced around the room, "I know that we're supposed to be working with metal, but do we have to be in the heat before the first class?"

Edric opened his mouth to reply when Cat beat him to it, "I believe they're trying to get us used to the temperature as soon as possible. For those of us from warmer climates, it'll be easier to acclimate while those from colder climates will have a harder time."

"So there is a method to their madness," Jasmine looked at Cat curiously, "I don't think I've seen any witches or wizards,"

"Humans tend to stay away from High Arch unless they're serious about becoming the best," Cat seemed more than a little amused, "My family has been coming to this school for years and I wanted to follow in my parents footsteps. They're bounty and treasure hunters,"

Everyone quited down as a dwarf strode in, "Class, my name is Ford Highland and I will be your teacher for this class."

 **Okay just a small present before I leave on my trip. Do not expect another early update again for a while. Love you guys!**


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice: As Jasmine has officially started High Arch, I will be referring to her as Ariadne Dagny unless telling the story from those still in England's point of view. Also, I could use a beta for this story. Just thought I might put that out there.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

Much like the class about Creature magic, they jumped right in and began examining metals. Ford wanted to see what knew about the metals they would be using and how they might use them during the class. Ariadne thought it was an interesting lesson and found that she knew more about metals than she thought though it wasn't as much as the goblin students. When they got dismissed, Edric commented, "That was unexpected."

"It was more fun than when Aspen did to us," Ariadne replied still getting vivid images of the carnage that had occurred.

"I really pity you," Cat grimaced lightly, "My big brother decided to take creature magic and had to transfer to another class because of how Aspen taught,"

Edric shot Ariadne a worried look, "Did anything happen?"

"I was almost mauled by multiple animals, but managed to find a connection with a wolf," Ariadne shuddered lightly, "And I'm still having vivid flashbacks,"

Before Edric could reply, Godric strode up, "How was class?"

"Interesting. I actually knew more about metals than I thought I did," Ariadne noticed the rather ruffled appearance of the shifter, "Did something happen?"

"Someone's elemental magic blew up in their face. I was at the edge of the blast zone, so I managed to avoid getting covered in her blood," Godric looked like he was both annoyed and worried, "She lost a hand and had to be taken to the infirmary,"

"Damn," Edric shook his head with a sigh as Cat looked sad, "She'll probably fail out the year if the residue from the magic doesn't fade in time to save her hand,"

Godric shook his head, "C'mon, you have your first fighting class to attend. Did your schedule say if it was hand-to-hand or weaponry?"

Ariadne pulled the schedule out of her bag and glanced over it before saying, "Hand-to-hand."

Godric nodded while glancing at Edric and Cat. The two took out their schedules before replying the same. With that, they headed out of the spire for their hand-to-hand class.

* * *

The teacher was a man of Asian decent with steel colored eyes and obsidian hair pulled into a thick braid. He wore an orangeish red fighting gi. He looked them over, "My name is Feng Li. By now, you have realized that I am a human wizard. I hope that doesn't put you off as I believe that we can have an enjoyable class. For the first part, we will be working to figure out which style of fighting suits you. Once we figure that out, you will be split into diffrent classes under teachers that are a master of the fighting style that fits you," Feng looked at the winged members of the classes, "I would suggest our avian influenced classmates put away their wings if they are able to. It will save you a lot of pain."

Looks were exchanged before they did as asked, Feng smiled at the class before announcing that they would begin.

* * *

Ariadne rubbed at her back as she slowly got up and Feng eyed her, "You are very quick and have good stamina, but your defense is lacking."

"Speed and stamina have been a bit more important up until now," Ariadne took the hand he offered her.

"As your fight said," Feng looked her over, "While the way you fight is smart, you lack the strength needed to make up for your rather glaring lack of defense," Ariadne found herself flushing, "I have a general idea of which styles would be good for you. For now, you may join the others that are finished their matches,"

Ariadne inclined her head and took off to where Edric was sitting alongside Cat. Shareen, Cameron, Len, and Adrian joined them a little later. Adrian commented, "You look like some giant cat decided to bat you around like a mouse toy."

Grimacing, Ariadne said, "That because the werewolf I was paired with decided to make me his chew toy."

Cameron grimaced, "Yeah, they tend to be a bit more...aggressive around those that come from Europe with those coming from the UK getting the worst of it."

"Understandable considering the laws and stuff," Ariadne shook her head lightly, "I will never understand why my country of origin is so damn stupid,"

Adrian snorted, "If they aren't careful, the council will probably allow a war to occur."

"A war?" Ariadne frowned softly, "England's already in a civil war,"

"That's probably why the council hasn't done anything yet," Shareen mused as she settled down next to the wall, "They're probably waiting to see which side comes out on top before attempting to speak with them again,"

"They've done it before?" Ariadne felt slightly stupid as they all gave her a look of shock.

"Your fucking country doesn't even teach about the treaties?" Adrian looked at the sky, "Man and I thought those English bastards couldn't be anymore stupid,"

Ariadne glared at him, "Well excuse me if my history class was taught by a fucking ghost that only taught us about the goblin wars."

"No wonder you don't know a lot," Cat looked at her with pity, "Ghosts tend to be stuck in whatever era they die in. While they can learn new things, it usually fades unless they're particularly strong spirits,"

"Guess that explains Peeves," Ariadne muttered softly.

A throat being cleared sounded from the side and they all turned to find Lykos standing there. Lykos smirked at them, "Hello everyone, I hope I'm not interrupting."

"You're not," Cameron and Adrian told the ancient vampire.

"We were just discussing how lacking the English educational standards are," Cat added with a slight pink tint on her cheeks.

Lykos nodded lightly, "Understandable as that topic has been one of the many things discussed over the years. May I ask what started this?"

Ariadne shifted slightly as her wings unsealed themselves, "My partner was a werewolf who didn't take kindly to my country of origin. I don't really hold it against him as he doesn't know me yet and thus, doesn't know my stance."

Lykos inclined his head in acknowledgement before holding out his hand, "I see. Regardless, your discussion is over as I have business with you, Ariadne."

Ariadne looked at him in surprise before taking his hand and finding herself on her feet in a rather disorientating movement. Shaking her head lightly and holding on to Lykos to keep her balance, Ariadne asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Not yet, but it would be best to discuss this in private," Lykos replied before turning his head and calling out, "I'm taking one of your charges Feng,"

Feng turned and nodded lightly, "See to it that she doesn't die, I am rather eager to see what she can do once properly taught."

Lykos chuckled softly, "Of course, I too am interested in her potential."

With that said, Lykos began to walk and Ariadne had no choice other than to follow due to his rather tight grip on her hand.

* * *

After what felt like hours of walking and climbing up steps, they finally came to a stop. Lykos tossed open a rather rusted looking door causing frigid air to flow past. He stepped out pulling Ariadne out alongside of him. He spoke as they walked onto a frost covered rooftop, "This is the main take off point for all Hunter students until they can manage to take off from the ground, you will be required to use this."

"Why is it so cold?" Ariadne asked while shivering slightly.

"Because of how high up we are, it will always be cold even in the middle of summer," Lykos pulled her towards the edge of the roof and Ariadne stared at the layer o clouds sitting about a hundred to two hundred feet below her.

"And we're up here because?" Ariadne looked at him.

Lykos smirked at her, "Oh for no real reason," He tugged her to him with his grip on her hand, "Do me a favor, will you?"

"A favor?" Ariadne looked at him in confusion while fighting the urge to push him away from her, "What kind of favor?"

He bent down and Ariadne froze as his warm breath brushed against her ear, "Don't die."

Suddenly, Ariadne was shoved and found the frost covered ground no longer beneath her. Ariadne felt completely weightless as she stared at Lykos with wide eyes as she realized what he had done. As it felt like gravity was taking notice of her once more and seemed rather pissed off that she'd gotten out of it's rather possessive grip, Ariadne shouted, "Why the fuck did you push me?!"

"Use your wings and fly, Jasmine Potter or die," Lykos replied with a wave, "Good luck,"

Panic engulfed her as gravity's possessive hands gripped her and began pulling her down to the unforgiving ground, she could be excused for the small scream she let out as she began to descend. As she reached the cloud layer, Ariadne managed to force down her panic. A vast whiteness filled her vision and a sense of peace came over her. Using that peace, Ariadne firmly pushed away her panic and took a deep breath. Thanks to her Hunter biology, Ariadne didn't have trouble breathing at high altitudes and was able to quickly adjust. Closing her eyes, Ariadne began to think about why they used such a high height.

Obviously, they did it for a reason and Ariadne needed to figure that out as quickly as possible. Mother birds pushed their fledgling out of the nest when it came time to learn how to use their wings. The bird's instincts took over and they used them to keep themselves from falling to their deaths. Obviously, they were using the same practice here, so Ariadne needed to tap into the instincts that came with her wings. Just one problem, Ariadne had never been able to instinctively move her wings. It was just one of those things that she could never quite grasp much to Kaze and the other Flight Commanders annoyance. As a burst of panic ran through her, Ariadne passed through the final layer of clouds and felt her breath catch in her throat.

Everything in the valley containing High Arch was in full view and Ariadne couldn't think of a more beautiful sight she'd seen. Even when she first saw Windseeker after getting her wings, the feelings running through Ariadne at that point couldn't compare. The feeling that ran through her was indescribable, yet it made Ariadne's other emotions stream to the surface. The anger that had always been bubbling inside her, yet pushed into the background slowly began to fade. The crippling sadness and despair brought on by the tragedies in her life finally began to heal around the edges. The worry she felt for all her friends back in England slipped away into the background. Above all, the desire to live seemed to fill her as she looked upon the world from the sky.

Ariadne wanted to live.

As if a blindfold had been covering her eyes, Ariadne's mind was filled with the knowledge of how her wings truly worked. As instinct gripped her, Ariadne turned her body until she was heading towards the ground head first and her wings curled around her. Immediately, Ariadne's speed increased dramatically and the ground got closer. As the air began to warm, her wings snapped open and Ariadne' began to glide on the warm updrafts. A fierce sense of joy ripped through her and Ariadne found herself shouting, "WAHOOO!"

Ariadne heard the sound of wings flapping and looked to the side to see a Gryffin flying next to her. Upon seeing the color of it's feathers and it's eyes, Ariadne grinned as she realized who it was. The Gryffin let out a screeching sound that sounded like laughter as Godric's voice sounded, "Enjoying yourself?"

"This is so much better than flying on a broom," Ariadne grinned at him, "I've been missing out,"

He made a sound of amusement, "Yes, you have, but as fun as it may be, you'll need to land."

"Why?" Ariadne looked at him in confusion.

"Since this is the first time you've ever flown, you won't last long," Godric explain making Ariadne frown at him.

"But I feel fine," Ariadne protested.

"That's the adrenaline," Godric flew a little closer, "Follow me, please,"

Ariadne was tempted to continue flying, but knew Godric was right as he'd been flying for longer than her. Godric inclined his head and wheeled around to fly back to the spires. Ariadne followed him with a rather messy arc and Godric let out a low chuckle as she muttered, "Need to work on that."

"You'll have time to learn," Godric glanced at her, "I'll definitely help you,"

"I know," Ariadne smiled at him.

* * *

When they landed, Ariadne fell flat on her face earning a bit of laughter from those around her. She slowly got up and glared at her 'so-called' friends, "It isn't funny! I haven't flown with wings before. I'm much better on my broom."

"Good to know we'll actually have some good competition once you get a broom," Cameron laughed lightly.

Ariadne turned to Lykos with a glare, "Why the hell couldn't you have just told me that it was time for me to try out my wings?"

Lykos chuckled lightly as he held up his hands, "Will saying that it's tradition lessen your anger?"

"No-" Ariadne froze as a shudder ran down her back and her wings began to feel funny.

"And that would be the pain," Godric muttered from beside her.

Ariadne fell onto her knees with a sharp cry as her wings spasm and pain lanced through them. It felt like every nerve was on fire and she couldn't move. Ariadne felt tears well up in her eyes as Godric bent down. She felt a whine slip through her lips, "It hurts."

"I know," Godric's voice was soothing and managed to distract her a bit, "I know it hurts. We'll take care of that as soon as possible. For now, I think it would be best for you to go to sleep. Don't you?"

Ariadne nodded with another whine. Godric reached out with a softly glowing hand and Ariadne found herself in the blessed darkness of unconsciousness.

* * *

Hermione looked at Hedwig as the owl stared out of the window. She looked at Ron as he walked into the room, "She just keeps staring out of the window."

"Maybe you should open it?" Ron suggested while looking at Hedwig with a frown, "Maybe she needs to hunt,"

"What if she doesn't come back?" Hermione turned to Ron with a scared look on her face, "I don't want to lose the only connection we have to Jazz at the moment,"

Ron sighed softly, "'Mione, we can't keep Hedwig here. She needs to fly and if she goes to Jazz, she'll be happy."

The sound of a window opening took their attention they saw Ginny standing alone and Hedwig disappearing through the window. The youngest Weasley looked at the two with a sullen expression on her face, "I don't know where Jazz is, but I know that she could use a reminder of us."

"Gin," Hermione hesitated for a few seconds before finally asking, "Do you think she'll ever come back home?"

Ginny looked at them for a few moments before replying, "She will come back, but I doubt this is home to her," Ginny turned towards the window with a sad smile, "It's all the adult's fault. Jazz is going to find a place for herself where she can be happy and free. All England is to her is a reminder of the chains that everyone placed on her and the cage she was forced into," Ginny closed her eyes, "You two need to make a decision. Will you abide by what Dumbledore says and continue to be blinded by his words? Or will you look back at what happened and realize the manipulations that had taken place?"

"Gin-" Hermione began to protest only for Ron to cut her off.

"'Mione, she's right," Hermione and Ginny turned to look at him in shock, "Ever since the tournament back in fourth and the things Jasmine said to me, I've been thinking especially with what happened last year. Dumbledore is a great man that has done many amazing things, but he's human," Ron rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away from Hermione, "I think that he's probably been in charge for far too long and has gotten too used to being the only one that can do something. I really think that Dumbledore has become a bit misguided with his well meant intentions," Ron looked at them with a slight flush, "What?"

"I think that's the smartest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth," Hermione stared at him with wide eyes.

Ron's face turned a deep cheery, "Hey, I notice things too. I'm just used to being in a background when it comes to planning things and stuff," He shook his head and his blush dissipated, "I think that wherever Jazz is, she'll be happy. I know she'll come back to finish things because that's the kind of person she is and the snake-faced bastard won't stop until she's dead."

Hermione opened her mouth before sighing, "I'll think about everything. What should we do in the mean time?"

"Luna, the twins, and I have been gathering up information," Ginny informed them earning surprised looks and she smiled for what felt like the first time since the news of Jasmine's departure had hit them, "We're making sure that once she comes back, she'll have a good stock of information to use. I think that once we get back to Hogwarts, we need to start up the DA and work in earnest to become stronger. We're all going to be targets what with our connection to Jazz,"

"I guess we have a plan," Ron smiled slightly, "I'll start researching how everyone fought before and figure out ways to work around it. We can't let our enemies have the upper hand,"

Hermione looked at the two Weasleys and could only muttered, "It only took Jazz leaving to get everyone to realize their potential."

Ron and Ginny began discussing plans with Hermione watching. Eventually she turned and began to leave, Ron called out, "Where are you going?"

"I have a lot of thinking to do," Hermione told him, "So I'm going to get started on that,"

"Alright," Ron turned back to his sister and they continued their discussion.

* * *

When Ariadne woke up, it was to sore wings and a stiff back. She winced while sitting up and found herself in a room she didn't recognize. It looked kind of like a mix between that guest room back at the den and a room from Hogwarts. Bookshelves lined the back wall while shelves containing various objects sat everywhere else. She was sitting on a rather comfortable couch near the center of the room. Ariadne jolted slightly as she heard, "I see that you've finally woke up."

"L-lykos?" Ariadne turned her head slowly and found him walking into the room from some kind of dark corridor carrying a wine glass filled with some type of dark crimson colored liquid.

He sipped at the liquid in his glass and inclined his head, "After you landed, I brought you to my rooms as it's the only place on campus you won't be bothered save for Zane's."

"How long?" Ariadne winced slightly as her wings shifted sending mini-jolts of pain down her spine.

"It's near midnight, so about nine hours," Lykos replied as he walked around the couch and over to a cupboard she hadn't noticed before, "You ended up missing you first weaponry class, but that's allowed since it was your first time flying with your own wings. It's well known that Hunter's need at least a day to recover once they use their wings for the first time. You'll need to make up the class on Saturday, but that's an easy price to pay,"

Ariadne watched him remove a vial and walk over to her. Lykos held it out to her, "This will help ease the pain, I was reluctant to give you any while you slept as pain relief potions tend to cause odd reactions in Hunters while asleep."

Ariadne took the potion from him and downed it with a grimace, "That tasted worse than usual."

"That's because it was keyed towards your wings and back," Lykos chuckled as a house elf appeared carrying a plate and mug, "Eat and drink, we have a few things to talk about,"

"What kind of things?" Ariadne asked him as she sat up fully and took the items from the house elf.

Lykos settled on the couch opposite of her, "To put it frankly, you are an oddity even among Hunters and I don't mean because of your wings," Ariadne flinched slightly, "You are stronger than a normal Hunter. Mentally, at least. Anyone else with your background would have become an Obscurus. I trust you know what that is?"

Ariadne nodded while slowly beginning to eat the light soup she'd been given, "Madam Pomfrey, the mediwitch back at Hogwarts, told me about them when I asked why there weren't more half-bloods that grew up in the mundane world like me. She," Ariadne hesitated for a few moments before continuing once she'd figured out what to say, "She mentioned that during one of the scans she did on my magic at some point during my first year showed that it had scars. She believed that at some point I was very close to breaking and turning on my magic, but something stopped me."

"Do you have any idea what stopped you?" Lykos asked her curiously, "Brigid hasn't shared everything about your past, but it's enough to make me heavily curious,"

Ariadne ate some of her soup and took a sip from her mug which was revealed to be hot chocolate, "It's fuzzy, but around the time I was six, my relatives had increased their efforts to beat the magic out of me. I remember a lot of darkness and feeling so cold that I could barely breath. I kept wishing that whatever was causing them to hate me to disappear. Just when my thoughts were turning darker and what I now know is my magic beginning to react to it, I felt something inside of me break and warmth fill me. There was so much light too, it was seemed to wash away all the darkness and make everything better."

Lykos was silent as Ariadne finished her explanation. She managed to finish her meal and almost all of her hot chocolate by the time Lykos seemed to break out of his thoughts. He peered at her as the house elf returned and took away the empty bowl. Ariadne finished off her hot chocolate as Lykos said, "I suppose that explain it."

"Explains what?" Ariadne asked as the house elf returned and took her mug.

"Usually, a horcrux being inside a living being would change that being into something dark that almost resembles the creator," Lykos explained earning a look of disgust from Ariadne, "Yes, it's rather disgusting and a sure indicator that the living bein is a horcrux. However, you didn't display any changes,"

"I didn't?" Ariadne felt surprise and relief run through her.

Lykos hummed lightly, "Have you noticed any differences since the removal?"

Ariadne thought about carefully before nodding, "It's harder to get angry and I don't rush into things as much anymore. My magic flows easier too."

"Along with the horcrux, we discovered a binding on your magic," Lykos explained making Ariadne freeze, "It was one of the bindings parents use to keep their children from hurting themselves if their magic was particularly powerful. With both it and the horcrux gone, your magic can now flow freely,"

"So they probably didn't notice the binding because of the horcrux?" Ariadne asked earning a nod, "What about the other things?"

"The horcrux likely made it easier to fall into your darker emotions while also influencing your thought process a bit," Lykos replied and took a sip from his glass which Ariadne realized was filled with blood, "Now while there was some bleed off, it wasn't as bad as any other case we've had,"

Ariadne thought about it before coming to a conclusion, "So something was keeping it at bay?"

Lykos inclined his head, "Yes and I believe it has something to do with the things that kept you from becoming an Obscurus."

"How do we find out?" Ariadne rubbed at her chest as the memory of the warmth and light filled her mind.

"I have a few ideas, but it'll take time to figure out which one is viable," Lykos eyed her for a few moments, "The reason that I broached this topic is due to something I discovered from your blood,"

"My blood?" Ariadne remembered when he got rid of the poison from the mantis and felt the almost not there scar warm up.

Lykos drank more of the blood in his cup, "You were bitten by a basilisk and healed by a phoenix. Due to the two being at relatively equal strength, your blood still contains both which make using any other poison on you moot. Of course, demon poison will still kill you, but it will be slower due to the battle between the two potent substances inside your blood."

Ariadne glanced down at the scar left on her arm by the basilisks fang, "And that stuff makes you curious?"

"No," Lykos shook his head, "What makes me curious is what I tasted beneath those two substances," He leaned forward with a curious look on his face, "Do you know much about your father's family?"

"Not really," Ariadne shook her head, "I tried looking in the library at Hogwarts, but there was nothing there. I found plenty on the Black's, but nothing on the Potters',"

"Doesn't that make you curious?" Lykos asked earning a raised eyebrow from Ariadne, "Why would books about one of the 'darkest' families in the UK be in the Hogwarts library, but books about one of the 'lightest' families be absent?"

Ariadne opened her mouth before closing it as she thought about it. Even back then, Ariadne had been curious, but put it off as maybe Dumbledore not wanting people to look deeper into her family. Yet now, Ariadne couldn't help, but wonder if maybe there hadn't been any actual books on the Potter family in the library. Ariadne shook her head, "I don't know."

"Maybe there weren't any because the Potter family had a secret they didn't want anyone to know," Lykos smirked slightly as Ariadne's eyes widen in realization, "I tasted something interesting in your blood and I believe it is connected to what kept you from becoming an Obscurus,"

Ariadne frowned at him, "Are you going to tell me?"

"I would if I knew more about the Potter family, but I never had the luck that would allow me to meet any of them even at the height of their population," Lykos leaned back against his seat, "In order to find out, I need your permission to do a few tests and take a bit of blood during each one. It won't be much,"

Some part of Ariadne that still followed the teaching Hogwarts instilled in her screamed to not allow it, but the bigger part of her wanted, no, needed to know more about herself. Closing her eyes, Ariadne nodded, "Alright. I will allow it, but I want Brigid to know about this too."

"Understood," Lykos set down his glass and stood up, "Come, I'll take you down to your dorm and leave you in the hands of your mentor,"

Ariadne got up slowly and followed Lykos out of his rooms. As they walked, Ariadne couldn't help, but wonder. Just what was her father's family hiding that was so important that it couldn't be put it books?

* * *

Godric was waiting for them when they arrived, "Lykos?"

"I gave her something for the pain," Lykos replied earning a nod, "If you'll excuse me, I have things that need to be put into place,"

With that, Lykos left and Godric looked over Ariadne, "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Ariadne yawned softly.

"Go get some sleep," Godric told her as he turned to the coffee table, "I have a project to work on, so if you need anything, I'll be up for another hour at the very least,"

Ariadne glanced at her room before looking at the rather crowded coffee table, "What kind of project?"

"I'm beginning to work on my semester project," Godric glanced back at her as he sat down, "I'm starting to design it. It's for my rune class and weapon creation class," He glanced over the papers before looking at her, "Want to take a look? It's a bit higher level than you'll be used to, but it never hurts to take a peek at what you'll be able to do once you get passed the basics,"

Ariadne thought about it before nodding and making her way over, "So long as it won't bother you."

"I'm offering," Godric replied while picking out a sheet of parchment.

Ariadne took it from him as she sat down and noticed the amount of runes. She could only pick out two or three in any single row of ten, "I never knew there were so many runes."

"Every ancient language has a specific set of runes not to mention the mixed runic languages that have popped up over the year due to various species using them," Godric explained in a light tone, "Depending on what you're using them for, you should use a specific language since certain ones increase the potency of things. Wards tend to use Egyptian and Roman runes as a base. Wards that deal with fire tend to have Greek in lieu of Roman runes because Greek runes are heavily based around fire unless they focus specifically on the other elements. Wards that deal with ice and water always have Norse runes written into them as a base instead of Egyptian,"

Ariadne took in the information and admitted, "I probably would have known some of that if I would have taken Ancient runes instead of Divination at Hogwarts."

"Why didn't you?" Godric looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Ariadne flushed lightly, "I decided to follow alongside one of my best-friends who isn't very good at school work. Not to mention, I didn't think I'd do very well. When we did our OWL exams, I actually did fairly well even if I didn't take the class."

"So you decided to take it here?" Godric asked earning a nod, "Well, I'll be happy to help fill in the gaps. It'll actually help me out since I'll memorize things better when I help you,"

Ariadne smiled slightly, "Thanks, Godric."

"No problem," He turned back to his work, "Why don't you try to figure out what they mean on your own and we'll see just where you are?"

"Sure," Ariadne settled more comfortably on her seat.

* * *

When Ariadne woke up the next morning, she felt incredibly warm and well rested. Considering all the facts, she hadn't slept so well since Sirius had died unless it was medicine or exhaustion induced. Somewhat reluctantly, Ariadne opened her eyes and found that she was in the living room of her dorm. Going through her memories of yesterday, Ariadne yawned softly as she realized that she'd fallen asleep at some point last night working with Godric on her rune knowledge. Sitting up, she felt a something soft slip down her body and looked to see it was a rather soft throw blanket. She looked around the room carefully and found her shifter mentor no where to be seen. Spotting a vial of potion and a note on the currently paper free coffee table, Ariadne reached out only to hiss as her back muscles protested the movement. Eventually, she managed to get the potion and the note. Sniffing the potion lightly, Aria noted that it had the sharp scent that always came with pain relief potions. Downing it, she waited for it to kick in and sighed as it did. Moving to the note, she read it:

 _Ariadne,_

 _I have a few classes today, so I'll be gone by the time you wake up. As you have today free due to your wings, I would suggest studying as you'll need to keep yourself from falling behind. I would suggest getting something to eat fairly soon after you wake up especially if you need that pain relief potion Lykos dropped off. Using them on an empty stomach is just begging for trouble, so please go get something to eat. I will probably be dropping in around 1, so we can grab lunch together._

 _Godric._

Ariadne put down the note and checked the time. It was only eleven, so she should have time to get a light breakfast and come back up to study. With that in mind, Ariadne slowly stood up and grimaced as she noticed the state of her feathers. First things first, she needed to get cleaned up and ready for the day. Food could wait a little while.

* * *

Damien was in the food hall when she arrived and looked somewhat surprised to see her, "Up already, Ariadne?"

"Yeah," Ariadne yawned softly, "Still a bit tired,"

"You're made of sterner stuff than the other Fledgling Hunters," Damien watched her grab some food and walk over, "None of the ones that tested out their wings yesterday are up and around,"

Ariadne blinked in surprise before shrugging, "I've never been normal."

"Parseltongues never are," Damien shook his head, "So 'Ric's in class and you get a free day, what are you going to do?"

"Study," Ariadne began to eat her light breakfast, "I don't want to fall too far behind,"

Damien pouted at her, "Why are all the people I know obsessed with studying?"

"We actually want to graduate," Shareen replied as she took a seat next to Damien, "How are you, Ari?"

"Fine since I took a pain relief potion this morning," Ariadne took a sip of her tea, "How was class?"

"Interesting," Shareen reached into her bag and pulled out a note book, "Here, these are what we covered in elemental class,"

"Thank you," Ariadne put them in her own bag, "I'll return these once I've gotten them down,"

Shareen inclined her head and began to eat, "I can't wait until you can use your wings for long periods of time."

"Oh?" Ariadne looked at her curiously as she ate.

Shareen swallowed the food in her mouth, "You can join the air racing club. With how fast you seem to be, you could actually join the racing leagues. They're always looking for more people to join up since it keeps things interesting."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ariadne had actually thought of joining that club back when she was looking through the brochure.

Any dreams she had of joining pretty much took a nose dive when it was revealed that you needed to be able to fly under your own power to join. The only way she would have been able to join was if she had some type of animagus with the ability to fly. Considering the likeliness of that happening, Ariadne had only sighed and pushed any ideas for that club away. Now that she had wings, it was a matter of getting them stronger and able to fly for long periods of time. Ariadne smiled slightly making Shareen smirk at her. Yeah, she was probably going to join that club once she got more comfortable at school and could find the time to do it.

* * *

When Ariadne returned to her dorm, she got right down to studying and became engrossed in the notes Shareen had gotten her their elemental class. She didn't even noticed Godric had returned until he waved a clawed hand in front of her face. Flushing lightly, Ariadne heard Godric chuckle and ask, "Got absorbed?"

"Elemental magic is fascinating," Ariadne defended herself earning a nod.

"It really is, so I don't blame you for getting engrossed in it," Godric looked down at the notes, "Shareen take notes for you?"

Ariadne nodded lightly while stretching, "Mhmm."

"How is the pain?" Godric asked her curiously as Ariadne put her notes onto the coffee table.

Ariadne stretched again and hummed softly, "It still aches a lot, but it's bearable compared to yesterday."

"That's good," Godric smiled in relief, "Let's go get lunch, I heard they were having tacos,"

"Tacos?" Ariadne asked making Godric freeze.

He looked at her in horror, "You Englishmen are barbarians if you've never had tacos."

Ariadne was tempted to be offended, but merely said, "My relatives are proud Englishmen and only eat English food. Hogwarts only had variety when during my fourth year."

"Ah yes, the tri-wizard tournament," Godric grimaced and shook his head, "Let's got get lunch and introduce you to some real food, I swear that by the time I've graduated from this school, you'll be cultured rather than a barbarian,"

Ariadne snicked softly, "While I want to be offended at being called a barbarian, somehow I'm not."

Godric grinned at her and opened the door to their dorm.

 **Okay it's done a bit earlier and a bit shorter than I planned, but I'm updating it a day early.**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice: As Jasmine has officially started High Arch, I will be referring to her as Ariadne Dagny unless telling the story from those still in England's point of view. Also, I could use a beta for this story. Just thought I might put that out there.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

The first few days after her first flight were a little painful, but Ariadne made it through them without too much trouble. She was really looking forward to their flying lessons even if the first few were probably going to leave her wings and back feeling like a bludger hit them multiple times. Other than the pain, Ariadne did her best to catch up during her lunch periods and after classes were over. She quickly discovered that the teachers were very willing to help once you showed them that you're serious about learning. As it stood, the only classes she'd have to spend her weekend making up would be her weapon creation, creature magic, and physical classes.

* * *

On Friday, Ariadne dropped onto the couch across from the one Godric was sitting on while ignoring the minor twangs of pain going through her back and wings. Godric glanced up and commented, "You look like someone decided to make you a chew toy."

"Apparently, I'm suited for both Kenpo and Aikido," Ariadne shifted to sit correctly only to wince, "My partner for Kenpo is a werewolf and my partner for Aikido is a druid. Neither like me, the werewolf seemed to find enjoyment in beating me while the druid actually allowed me to explain my views. She still doesn't like me, but I don't think she'll thoroughly trash me outside of a spar,"

Godric hummed lightly while getting up and going into his room. When he came out, Godric was holding a jar and handed it to her, "This should help with the muscle pains, it'll ease the ache and you won't feel so bad tomorrow. I won't be able to help with the Aikido, but I can help with the Kenpo as I took a year of it before switching to my current class. If you want, I can show you pressure points."

"I wouldn't mind," Ariadne took the jar from him and opened it to sniff lightly, "It doesn't smell as bad as I thought it would,"

"It's my dad's special recipe," Godric settled back down on his seat, "I learned it and a few others while helping him stock his shop,"

Ariadne capped the jar and set it on the table, "What does he do for a living?"

"My dad's a warrior for the clan, but sells salves and oils on the side," Godric turned to his project, "My mom is a researcher and member of the maker guild. She travels all over the world," Godric glanced at her, "What about your parents?"

Ariadne had been reaching into her book bag to take out her homework only to freeze when he asked that. Ariadne swallowed slightly, "I don't really know. I think my dad worked for the Department of magical law enforcement, but I don't know much about my mother," Ariadne took out her homework and placed it on the table, "My parents were killed back when I was a toddler, so I can't remember."

"Sorry, Ariadne," Godric murmured with a frown, "I would've aske-"

"You didn't know, so it's fine," Ariadne looked up at him and smiled lightly.

Godric continued to frown at her, "Who did you grow up with? Wouldn't they have told you about your parents?"

Ariadne snorted softly, "My relatives are mundanes and hate my guts. Until I was eleven, I didn't even know about my magic or how my parents died."

"That's messed up," Godric's frown increased.

Ariadne shrugged as she opened her blood magic text book and began reading through the chapter they looked at today, "My aunt is a spiteful bitch and was jealous of my mother's magic. Sometimes family sucks, I have other family now that don't so it isn't all bad."

Godric was silent for a little while and Ariadne focused on her blood magic homework. She finished writing the essay that her teacher assigned them and slipped it into her bag before pulling out her next bit of homework. Godric finally spoke once she'd gotten most of it done, "Among shifters, children are heavily cherished and it is considered a death sentence to harm them in anyway. Gryffin shifters consider children one of the greatest gifts."

Ariadne's head shot up and she looked at him in surprise, "But I never sai-"

"Your tone and the look in your eyes said enough," Godric looked at her with a frown, "While you're now healing, it is quite clear you've been hurt by those that should have taken care of you,"

Ariadne stared at him for awhile before sighing, "How the hell did our conversation turn into this?"

It bothered her a little that Godric knew even the smallest bit of her past. While she doubted Godric would use it against her, it still bothered Ariadne. With Brigid and the others, Ariadne didn't quite mind as they were either family or close. She didn't even mind Lykos knowing as he was friends with Brigid, but Godric knowing anything about her bothered the Hunter. Ariadne couldn't figure out why it bothered her especially when Godric was going to be around her for a few years at the very least. Maybe it was because she didn't know him very well, but that didn't make much sense either since Shareen knew almost as much if not a little bit more than Godric did. Ariadne was startled out of her thoughts as Godric said, "I apologize for bringing something up that clearly bothers you."

Ariadne shook her head lightly, "I've come to accept what happened, but could we please switch to a diffrent topic?"

"Of course," Godric glanced at her homework, "Runes?"

Ariadne nodded as she glanced down at her mostly finished homework, "I'm almost finished. We're working on Egyptian runes at the moment."

* * *

Ariadne was eating breakfast when a snow white owl flew into the hall to land on the table next to her. Gasping softy, Ariadne reached out and gently picked up the visibly exhausted snowy owl as her friends looked at it in surprise. Hedwig let out a low hoot and weakly nipped Ariadne's fingers as the Hunter whispered, "You came all this way to find me, girl?"

Hedwig hooted softly as Edric leaned over the table to look at her, "You should take her to one of the creature magic professors."

Ariadne nodded as she slowly stood up, "Please tell Professor Callidora that I'll be late and why."

"Of course," Shareen nodded earning a relieved smile from Ariadne.

Ariadne hurried out of the hall and headed towards the outbuildings where the creature magic professors had their offices. When she reached them, Ariadne looked around carefully before finding Aspen's office. She knocked on the door and the dryad opened it to peer outside, "Can I help you, Dear?"

"Aspen," Ariadne held up Hedwig, "She flew all the way from England and I don't know what to do,"

Aspen's eyes widen before they nodded and opened the door, "Come on in and let me get a look at her, I assume she isn't a familiar?"

"We never bonded," Ariadne confirmed as she entered the Professor's office.

The office was rather simple and inviting compared to the being that owned it. The only furniture in the room consisted of a desk overflowing with paperwork, a few bookcases containing a lot of books, a comfortable looking chair behind the desk, a table, a few lamps to provide light, a large couch, and a overly large pet bed that was currently being used by the wolf Ariadne had bonded with during her creature magic class. Storm raised his head and peered at Ariadne for a few seconds before snorting. Ariadne followed Aspen over to the table and set down Hedwig as carefully as possible. Aspen took out a few things, "Now, how long have you had her?"

"Since I was eleven," Ariadne informed them, "She was a birthday gift from someone I was close to back in England,"

Aspen inclined their head, "Ah so she's at least five years old, I'll figure out her true age while she's with me. I'm actually surprised she made it here since owls that aren't either magically enhanced or bound to someone don't usually survive the trip."

Ariadne swallowed upon hearing that and looked down at Hedwig feeling guilty. Hedwig hooted at her and Ariadne smiled slightly, "You always know when I'm feeling guilty, don't you?"

Hedwig hooted at her in reply and Aspen chuckled, "That owl of yours is a brave little thing, I'll take care of her. You should get to Callidora's class before she comes after me for keeping you."

Ariadne didn't really want to since Hedwig wasn't alright, but nodded, "Of course, thank you."

"It's no trouble," They waved their hand, "It's my job to take care of the animals here and your owl is quite interesting,"

Ariadne left after petting Hedwig's feathers one last time while feeling guilty. She did wonder what Hedwig was doing here when she'd left the owl with Hermione. Had someone let her loose in an attempt to track Ariadne down?

* * *

Ariadne managed to make it through an entire two weeks before ending up in a fight. Considering how much most of the school hated UK born magicals, it was surprising that it took so long for any of them to pick a fight. Ariadne was just a little disappointed that it started over something so small as her accidentally bumping into them while heading to class. At the current moment, Ariadne was staring down a rather jumped up werewolf with a few others pacing behind him. Ariadne would rather avoid this for multiple reasons least of all their current position in one of the larger hallways. She looked at the werewolf and commented, "If we're going to be doing this, we should at least head to one of the sparing halls."

"Fuck that," The werewolf snarled at her, "I'm going to take you down in front of everyone and show them just how much of a weak magical bitch you are,"

Ariadne rolled her eyes as she replied, "If you're going to insult someone, you should use an actual insult rather than that weak excuse."

The werewolf let out a loud growl and jumped towards her. Ducking and moving out of the way, Ariadne watching him slam into a wall and took out her wand while sealing her wings. She silently cast an ice spell over the floor around the bastard as the werewolf turned towards her and darted forward only to find himself slipping on the ice. Rather than get cocky, Ariadne stunned him and did the same with the other werewolves that attempted to attack her back. Conjuring some magically enhanced rope, Ariadne tied them up as Shareen approached. The shifter whistled softly, "I heard that some idiots were fighting in the hall and that a werewolf decided to pick a fight with our resident Englishwoman. I'm glad to see you kicked their asses."

"I didn't even attack them," Ariadne put her wand away after burning away the ice and resulting water, "Let's get to class, I really don't want to piss off any of my teachers now that I've started to gain their respect,"

"So you're just leaving them there?" Shareen asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ariadne shrugged lightly as she started to walk, "They attacked me, so why should I feel bad when they get into trouble for being late to class?"

Shareen let out a laugh as she wrapped an arm around Ariadne's shoulders, "Can't argue with that."

* * *

At Hogwarts, the term had just begun and already the students were up in a tizzy. Jasmine Potter had not returned to Hogwarts and many were unsure as to what it meant. For Hermione and Ron, they began to understand Jasmine intense loathing of attention as they found themselves being followed by whispers and stares. Ron especially learn his lesson as he experienced some of what Jasmine had gone through every year and immensely regretted the jealousy he had experience towards Jasmine. Hermione found herself growing highly annoyed as the days passed. Not only were her fellow students intent on not allowing Hermione to focus on her studies, Malfoy wouldn't shut up. Somehow, the ferret boy had become worse without Jasmine around.

Just as Ron and Hermione were about to explode at their fellow students, Dumbledore called all of the students together after dinner. He smiled at them all though his eyes lacked their customary twinkle, "Hello all of you, I have a quick announcement before you all head to bed," Everyone fell silent and stared at Dumbledore in hopes of him having some news about Jasmine Potter, "I understand that you're all curious about Miss Potter's absence from our school. I will assure you that all of the teachers are aware of the reason why and there is no need to worry about Miss Potter," Whispers broke out and Dumbledore allowed it for a few seconds before clearing his throat, "Miss Potter is currently receiving the best possible training in a secret location that only a select few know of," Ron and Hermione stared at the old man with wide eyes while wondering why he hadn't told them, "As you all know, Voldemort," A few students screamed as everyone flinched, "Has come back and presents a danger to us all. In order to properly fight him, I have decided to give Miss Potter the edge she needs against him. In order to do so, I have taken Miss Potter out of Hogwarts until she either finishes her training or Voldemort is finally defeated," Excited whispers broke out despite Dumbledore's usage of Voldemort's name, "Now, I suggest you all do your best and learn as much as possible. Even with Miss Potter working hard on her own, no one is safe until Voldemort and his death eaters are gone. Now, I suggest you all go on and head to bed."

Ron and Hermione immediately headed to Dumbledore's office after they were released. The Headmaster didn't even look surprised to find them; instead, he looked rather tired. Sitting down, Dumbledore offered the duo a lemon drop only for them to decline. Hermione spoke up, "Headmaster, why didn't you tell us Jasmine was back or you had put her into training?"

"Because she is not here and I haven't put her in training," Dumbledore saw the two look at him in shock, "You both must understand that-"

"Understand what? Why you lied to everyone?" Ron demanded with a frown.

Dumbledore seemed to age before them, "In order to keep the peace and ensure everyone works as hard as possible with the threat hanging over our heads, I've done what I must. The people need hope and Jasmine is their hope."

Both teenagers stared at the headmaster in shock before Hermione shook her head. The bookworm stood up, "Headmaster, you do realize that people will find out that you're lying, right?"

"My lie has bought us more time to find Jasmine," Dumbledore replied while looking at the bushy haired brunette with a frown.

Hermione shook her head lightly, "You won't find Jasmine, Headmaster. If there is one thing I know about her, it's that Jazz won't be found unless she want's to be."

Ron nodded along with Hermione words as he stood up as well, "We won't help you keep up this lie, Headmaster."

Dumbledore looked at the two in surprise before nodding with a grim look, "I understand."

The two left the headmaster's office and headed to their common room. They were surprised to find the entire Gryffindor house waiting for them. Seamus Finnigan didn't even wait until the portrait shut behind them before bursting out, "Well? Where is she?"

Hermione looked at Ron before sighing, "The Headmaster doesn't know. Jasmine is missing and it seems that she's run away."

"So she's a coward?" Someone burst out, "I kne-"

"Jasmine is many things, but a coward isn't one of them!" Ron growled as his face turned a little red at hearing the insult to his best-friend.

"Then where is she?" Seamus pressed.

Hermione sighed again before saying, "We don't know where she is."

Ginny spoke up as everyone looked about to explode, "Wherever she is, Jasmine will come back no matter what. Jasmine won't abandon anyone. She just needs some time after the end of the last year."

Looks were exchanged before someone muttered, "We're going to die."

Hermione looked at everyone before saying, "We won't die. If we work hard enough, we can survive. I know that it seems like an impossible task, but we need to do it. Jasmine will be returning and when she does, we need to be ready. She'll need every single one of us to watch her back and help defeat V-Voldemort. I'm no Jasmine Potter, but I'll do my best to help anyone become stronger."

"The same," Ginny stepped forward and looked around, "Over the summer, I've been working with some others to create some plans on what to do. The DA will be reinstated and we'll be taking new members. Even without Jazz around to teach us, we can work together to learn everything. With Umbridge gone, we can actually become legal and have help from the teachers,"

The Gryffindor students looked at one another before Neville stepped forward, "I'll help with whatever we need to do."

"I'll help too," Seamus grinned nervously, "It's the Gryffindor thing to do,"

Soon enough, the whole house agreed to help out before going to bed. Hermione looked at Ron and Ginny, "It looks like we've got a lot to do."

"We'll need to get to the other students, but we'll be fine," Ginny grinned at them, "Jazz is going to be really surprised when she comes home,"

Ginny headed off and Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione stared after Ginny before focusing on Ron, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," Ron replied before going to bed as well leaving Hermione standing alone in the common room.

Something about Ginny's last sentence bothered Hermione. She just couldn't stop herself from wondering if Jasmine would consider this place home. Hermione knew that Jasmine didn't really care for the English Ministry of magic or any English stuff. That stemmed from her relatives, Jasmine's family were proud Englishmen and never did anything that wasn't considered English. Even if Jasmine loved Hogwarts and had called it her home, Hermione couldn't help, but wonder if Jasmine wouldn't find a new home by the time she came back. Heading up to her dorm, Hermione forced herself to toss away those thoughts. Jasmine would come home whether she considered it home or not.

* * *

Ariadne followed the other fledgling Hunters onto the same rooftop that Lykos had pushed her off of almost two weeks ago. She glanced towards the edge and recalled her first flight. The memory caused her wings and back to ache with phantom pain before Ariadne forced it away with a frown. Ariadne settled beside Kara as the dirty blonde haired Hunter commented, "It looks like some of them died."

Ariadne glanced over the gathered Hunters and noted that there were at least ten missing, "Maybe some of them are in the infirmary?"

"Maybe," Kara turned to Ariadne, "How was your first flight?"

"Alright, but far too short for my tastes," Ariadne couldn't wait until she could fly for a longer period of time.

Kara grinned at her, "Yeah! I can't wait to get started on our flying lessons."

"You'll regret those words by the time we're done," Edric commented as he walked up to them with his hands shoved into his pockets, "Don't you remember how bad your wings and back ached after your first flight?"

Kara paled slightly, "Oh yeah..."

"Just think," Ariadne smiled at Kara, "We get through these lessons and we'll be able to fly a long as we want,"

Kara tried to smile at her and Ariadne reached out to pat her shoulder. A harsh gust of wind slammed into them chilling Ariadne to the bone as she covered herself with her wings. Shivering slightly, Ariadne used one of the new techniques she had picked up since coming here. Warmth coiled through her as she focused on her fire affinity, Ariadne let it fade as soon as she was warm once more. Moving her wings back behind her, Ariadne looked around before spotting the Hunter that would be their teacher. A woman stood near the edge of the roof with large lavender colored wings arching from her back and similarly colored eyes staring at the gathered students. Silvery green hair fell to the woman's shoulders in a mass of curls while her bangs framed the woman's golden heart shaped face. The woman was smaller than Kaze, but taller than Brigid. The woman spoke after a few moments, "So you're what's left of the Fledglings we sent here? A shame though I suppose it can't be helped," She shook her head, "My name is Darcie Caldwell and each of you have proven yourself able to use your wings. From this moment on, I shall teach you how to become an excellent flyer, a dancer in the air, and even a proper fighter. When we finish, you'll be able to return to your Flight Commanders with pride knowing that you will never fall from the sky."

* * *

The first flying lesson was a practice in how long they could all stay in the sky and how many laps they could do around the school during that time. By the end of the lesson, Ariadne's back and wings ached though it was less than the first time she tried flying. Ariadne still ended up kissing the ground with her face as Darcie had not taught them how to land. Seeing as she wasn't the only one, Ariadne felt a little bit better, but resolved to learn how to land properly as eating dirt was not something she wished to do. Godric and Shareen both offered to help her learn how to land properly on Saturday though neither were quite certain how long it would take for her to learn properly. Sometimes, Ariadne wished those genetic memories Hunters had included how to actually use their wings rather than just dump a load of memories into their minds and instincts that weren't always useful.

* * *

Brigid looked at the wizard currently laying on the ground at the foot of the chair she was using, "And this one is from which of them?"

"Albus Dumbledore, I believe," Lena said as she eyed the wizard in distrust.

"Check his arm, I don't want to make any mistakes," Brigid ordered and watched as the guards on either side of the unconscious wizard.

They got rid of his sleeves and found nothing earning, "Nothing, what shall we do with him?"

"Awaken him," Brigid ordered while eyeing the man, "While I do not doubt he is here for an asinine reason, I am still honor bound to hear him out,"

Kaze looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "You don't suppose he's here for the runt, do you?"

Brigid shrugged before focusing on the man that had been skulking around their city. He groaned as the guards woke him up and looked around in confusion. As soon as he realized where he was, the man became panicked, "I didn't steal anything!'

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Brigid spoke bringing the man's attention to her, "But you are not here because of that. Why is an English wizard wandering around Windseeker? I am fairly sure our current treaty with your people ensures that you will announce your presence and inform my people of why you're here as long as we are not at war with one another. Seeing as you have not announced yourself nor your intention, I can only assume you're here to cause trouble,"

The man shook his head with wide eyes and Brigid wondered if he was going to piss his pants, "N-no! I was sent to speak with on behalf of my employer, but I got distracted by the beauty of this island."

"I see," Brigid mentally rolled her eyes while keeping her face blank, "Then what is your name and who has sent you?"

The man visibly swallowed, "My name is Mundungus Fletcher and I was sent by Albus Dumbledore."

Brigid recalled something about this man in Jasmine's memories. Mostly, they were rumors her youngest cousin had heard, but Brigid knew that a good portion were probably true. Running her fingers against Shesha's warm scales, Brigid eyed the man, "What does Albus Dumbledore need with my people and I?"

The man eyed Shesha with fear, "Dumbledore is requesting an audience with you to speak of the coming and has asked for you assistance in finding someone."

"Dumbledore seeks to involve my people in war and then has the gall to ask me to assist him in finding someone?" Brigid was spending way too much time with Gabriel if she was enjoying this man's fear so much, "Why should I help him?"

Fletcher tried to shrug, "I'm just the messenger."

"Take him to our friends downstairs," Brigid ordered the guards earning nods, "I want to know if he's telling the truth and if he's stolen anything,"

"As you wish, Lady Artemis!" The guards saluted her before dragging the fear filled man away.

"What?! Wait!" The man screamed and tried to fight against the guards.

Brigid rubbed at the bridge of her nose as soon as they left, "I need a fucking drink."

"What are we going to do?" Kaze asked her as soon as the door shut behind the guards and their unwilling guest.

Brigid looked at her, "I will have to write a letter and allow Dumbledore to visit us if only to hear him out. As for who he's attempting to find, I'm fairly sure my youngest cousin is their target. As it currently stands, we will do nothing."

"And that guy?" Kaze's wings shifted.

"If he has not stolen anything, I will send him home," Brigid looked down at Shesha as her familiar rubbed his head against her chest, "If he has stolen anything, he will be in the dungeon until his government negotiates to free him or his employer suggests a viable punishment,"

Brigid glanced towards Lena as the dragon-like Hunter huffed. She knew her friend's opinion of her youngest cousin wasn't a good one and that the woman would rather see the teenager tossed away before causing them any trouble. And with everything going on, Lena would never like Jasmine no matter how hard Brigid tried to get the dragon-like woman to see reason. Not to mention, the eldest hybrid in their ranks was a stubborn bitch when it came to changes.

* * *

Ariadne was in her bloodmagic class creating the runescheme for her first ritual when the door opened and Lykos entered. Fern looked up from where he was assisting one of the centaur students and called out, "Gabriel, I do not believe I said you could enter my domain."

"My apologies," Lykos smirked at his fellow teacher, "You didn't reply to my note,"

"I thought my answer would be obvious if I didn't reply," Fern's voice was coated with ice, "Now pleas leave, I have a lesson to get on with,"

Lykos snorted softly and pulled out a scroll, "You can get onto your precious lesson after you read this."

Fern eyed the scroll as he stood up fully and walked over to snatch it away. The high elf opened the scroll and read it over before glaring at Lykos, "Very high handed of you, I'm surprised you actually went to the trouble."

"What can I say," Lykos' voice was coated with amusement and smugness, "I always get what I want,"

Fern's glare increased as he ground out, "I see," He turned and looked straight at Ariadne earning a wide eyed look from the Hunter, "Ms. Dagny, it seems that you've been called upon. Please gather your things and go with Professor Lykos, I expect you to continue your work and be further along by the next time I see you."

Ariadne looked at him in confusion, but did as told. Standing once she'd gotten everything packed away, Ariadne walked over to where Lykos was waiting. Lykos smiled at her and turned before leaving the room. Ariadne followed after him and heard whispers break out just as she stepped outside of the door. Lykos said nothing as he led the way through the halls and Ariadne became unnerved at the silence. Finally, Ariadne called out, "Lykos, what's going on?"

"Do you remember those tests I spoke about after your first flight?" Lykos asked as they began to walk up some stairs.

Ariadne thought back to that night and nodded, "Vaguely. Are they why you took me out of class?"

Lykos nodded his head, "Yes though there is more to it. The tests are just a small part of what's going on. Have you gotten any news from England?"

"No," Ariadne shook her head, "I've been staying out of contact. Why?"

"Your lack of attendance at Hogwarts was noticed," Lykos replied making Ariadne freeze for a few seconds before she hurried to follow him, "At the current moment, the UK believe that Albus Dumbledore has placed you in a secret location to be trained for the war against Tom Riddle-"

"You know who Voldemort really is?" Ariadne couldn't keep the shock out of her voice.

"Considering I met him during a small trip to England in 1947, it would be shocking that I wouldn't know his real name," Lykos chuckled lightly as he took in the wide eyed look on her face, "Tom Riddle was a bright man and it is a shame to see what he has become. Did you know that we were thinking of offering him a spot at High Arch?"

Ariadne shook her head, "I knew he was smart, but..."

"Tom Riddle was a bright young man and someone that would've done well at High Arch," Lykos' voice contained a bitterness that surprised Ariadne, "If he wouldn't have taken the schools offer, I planned on offering to have him as my apprentice, but things changed," Lykos glanced at her as they walked through a door and up another staircase, "Back to what I said, the entire UK has been fooled into believing Dumbledore's words. Likely, he's increasing his efforts to find you as it won't be long until someone high up demands to see you or something truly tragic occurs. At that point, the public will believe you have abandoned them,"

Ariadne wouldn't be surprised if some of the people back in the UK already believed that she had abandoned them. While she had every intention of returning once she got stronger, Ariadne knew that the public wouldn't give a shit until she returned and even then, they would hate her for being gone.

* * *

They reached a large wooden door that didn't have any handles or any real way to open. Lykos placed his hand on it and there was a pulse of magic before the door glowed brightly. A loud cracking sound echoed through the air as a line of light split the door into two before swinging open. Ariadne quickly shook her surprise away and followed Lykos through the door which swung closed behind her with an ominous thud. They were in a torch lit tunnel made of stone and covered in runes. Ariadne followed Lykos through the tunnel until they reached a rather small room filled with potion vials, bubbling cauldrons containing potions that Ariadne didn't know the name of, tables lined with various tools used in potion creation, and shelves lined with ancient tombs that she couldn't read the name of. Lykos turned towards her, "Take a seat in the chair," He pointed to one of the three chairs in the room, "I will be getting everything ready while we wait for Brigid and Zane to arrive."

"What is this place?" Ariadne asked as she carefully made her way to the offered seat.

"This is one of my personal potion labs," Lykos replied as she slipped into the seat, "It's the only one that lies within High Arch. The rest are within my various residences all over the world,"

"So you're a potions master?" Ariadne asked while looking at the runes decorating the walls.

"Yes," Lykos took a rather large tomb off of a shelf and began looking through it, "I learned underneath the first potions master. At one point in time, I headed the potion makers guild, but eventually left as it grew boring,"

Ariadne looked at him in surprise before asking, "How many guilds are you apart of?"

Lykos actually paused and glanced at her before resuming his work, "Almost all of them, we immortals tend to become bored fairly often. I've actually assisted in the creation of over half of them."

Before Ariadne could come up with any more questions, the sound of footsteps echoed through the air and she turned towards the tunnel entrance. Brigid and Zane walked through moments later. Feeling happy to see her cousin, Ariadne began to rise only to find herself unable to. Brigid darted over to her and hugged Ariadne while giving Lykos a glare, "Do you have to keep my cousin chained up?"

"I would rather not have her moving around during my tests," Lykos replied as Ariadne sank into the warmth her cousin provided, "Would you like her to hurt herself?"

"Hurt myself?" Ariadne turned her head to look at the ancient vampire, "How would I hurt myself?"

Lykos glanced at her, "Some of the tests involve taking potions. Depending on if I'm right or not, you may end up harming yourself. To keep that from happening, the chair you're sitting in is lined with runes that prevent most movement."

Feeling a little freaked out, Ariadne looked at her cousin. Brigid scowled at him, "Gabriel-"

"She'll be fine, Snowy," Lykos turned towards the bubbling cauldron closest to him and ladled out some potion, "I promise that these tests won't cause any real damage,"

Zane spoke up for the first time since entering the room, "Perhaps you should start talking about what you believe she is?"

Lykos shook his head, "Trust me, none of us need a scare if it turns out she isn't what I'm thinking of."

Ariadne looked between the two in confusion as Brigid tightened her arms around Ariadne. Finally, Zane sighed, "Let's just get this over with, I don't want to keep you out of class for very long."

Lykos looked at Brigid and her cousin nodded slowly, "Fine, but you better tell us everything once these tests are done or I'll fry your ass."

"Of course," Lykos chuckled softly before walking over, "Give me one of her hands, I need blood,"

Brigid raised Ariadne's hand and Lykos pierced one of her fingers with a rather sharp knife. Ariadne winced at the pain, but watched as Lykos dripped the blood into the potion before moving away. He mixed her blood into the potion thoroughly before pouring it onto a sheet of parchment which soaked it up like a sponge. Lykos tossed the ladle her used into a sink that she hadn't noticed before and walked over to another potion. Lykos repeated the same process four more times before going to the first sheet of parchment. He hummed lightly and grabbed a nearby potion before walking over to her as Brigid asked, "Gabe, what are you doing?"

"She needs to drink this," Lykos held out the vial to Brigid, "It'll be the first real test for my theory,"

Brigid frowned at him, "Will it hurt her?"

"It shouldn't," Lykos turned away.

Ariadne looked at the potion feeling apprehension as she knew by Lykos' words that there was a chance that the potion would hurt her. She looked at Brigid as her cousin whispered, "Do you really want to do this?"

Ariadne debated with herself before slowly nodding. Brigid fed her the potion and Ariadne was surprised to find it didn't taste bad. It actually tasted sweet like a liquefied cheery lollipop and Ariadne hummed softly as Brigid removed the vial, "That actually tasted good."

"Interesting," Lykos wrote that down.

Ariadne noticed that her stomach felt warm. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation,but it was still odd, "Is my stomach supposed to feel warm?"

"Is it painful or unpleasant?" Lykos answered with another question.

"Just odd," The warm feeling slowly began to fade, "Now it's going away,"

"And that tosses one idea out which is good," Lykos wrote something down before moving to look at the sheet again.

* * *

By the time they were doing the last of Lykos' tests, Ariadne was tired of drinking potions and her throat hurt. The last potion had caused Ariadne to belch out fire for a good three minutes not to mention her tongue felt like lead from the one before that. Ariadne looked at the potion Lykos had given Brigid and asked, "Will that cause me to burp up fire or turn my tongue to lead again?"

"No," Lykos seemed amused by her question and she glared at him, "To be truthful, I was just as surprised as you were when that happened,"

Ariadne only continued to glare at the vampire and wholeheartedly agreed with Godric when it came to calling them fanged menaces. Brigid fed her the last potion which turned out to be the worst. The first thing that clued Ariadne in that this potion wouldn't be a good one was the horrible taste. It tasted like raw meat mixed with stale bread and dog shit filled mud. As it went down her throat, Ariadne likened it to tar and began to gag in an attempt to cough it up; however, it wouldn't come up. If anything, her gagging forced it to go down faster. Ariadne felt it enter her stomach and felt it settle at the bottom. Taking a deep breath, Ariadne felt the first spike of pain radiate from her stomach. She gasped and attempted to move her arms only to find them immobile, "My stomach. Why does it hurt?"

Lykos' eyes widen and he wrote something down as Brigid demanded, "What did you give her?"

Ariadne didn't hear his reply as the pain seemed to intensify and her stomach felt like it was on fire. Soon enough, the fire and pain began to spread through her body. In terms of pain, Ariadne could clearly place it between when her wings came in and when she got bit by basilisk. Ariadne was thankful when the blackness of unconsciousness filled her eyes and she willingly dove into it.

 **Okay so Ariadne became unconscious once again. To be truthful, it feels like she's always going unconscious. Doesn't it? Well, that's it for this one. See ya again later**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

 **Notice: As Jasmine has officially started High Arch, I will be referring to her as Ariadne Dagny unless telling the story from those still in England's point of view. Also, I could use a beta for this story. Just thought I might put that out there.**

* * *

Chapter Nine

* * *

The first thing Ariadne was aware of when returning to the waking world was the heavy pounding in her head. The second thing was the heaviness of her body and the ache in her stomach. The third thing was the dryness of her mouth followed by the taste of something absolutely nasty. The last thing she noticed was that her chest felt cold. It felt like something warm that had always been there was suddenly missing and it scared her. Forcing herself to stay calm while wondering what had happened, Ariadne tried to open her eyes only to find it almost impossible. It was like someone had glued them shut and trying to open her hurt like she was tearing the skin open. Ariadne was startled when a chilly hand pressed itself against her face and a familiar voice spoke, "Easy, Jasmine. You had a severely adverse reaction to the last testing potion."

Ariadne felt a little confused before remembering what happened, "L-lykos?"

She began to cough and felt someone lifting her up into a sitting position before something cool was pressed against her lips. Opening her mouth, Ariadne could have kissed someone as the cool water slid down her throat and got rid of the nasty taste in her mouth. When the water was gone, she was carefully settled back against what she believed was a pillow. A glass clinked against something hard before Lykos asked, "How do you feel?"

"My head and stomach hurt," Ariadne informed him, "My body feels so heavy and it feels like someone put glue on my eyes,"

"Everything save for the last thing is to be expected," The cool hand returned and settled over her eyes.

Something that felt like warm water covered her eyes and slid under the lids. It didn't hurt, but it was an uncomfortable feeling that vanished a few moments later. Lykos removed his hand and Ariadne slowly opened her eyes. The light in the room was incredibly dim, but Ariadne recognized it from her last visit to Lykos' room. Ariadne looked at the vampire, "What happened?"

Lykos grimaced slightly, "You had a very severe reaction to the last testing potion. To be quite honest, I didn't think you'd react to it," Ariadne gave him a look of confusion, "The only beings that reacted like that were the Summoners."

"Summoners?" Ariadne asked as she pressed a hand to her cold chest, "Does it have anything to do with my my chest feels cold? Why I feel like somethings missing?"

Ariadne's eyes stung which surprised her as she hadn't thought talking about it would make her cry. It just felt so _wrong_ to feel this cold. Lykos looked at her in surprise before nodding slowly, "Yes and I must apologize for what happened," Lykos reached around him to pick up a glass filled with blood, "Summoners are special beings that were originally humans much like Hunters. They fought against the demons alongside the Hunters, but eventually they all disappeared with one or two surfacing every now and again."

Ariadne frowned at him, "What does all this mean? What is so special about Summoners?"

"Summoners are the only beings that can create their own familiars," Lykos gained a look in his eyes that Ariadne could only say was fondness, "The familiar they create fit them to the point that they could merge with the familiar to become whatever creature it was. They are connected to the point where one gets injured and so too does the other. They are truly fascinating beings,"

"There's more to it, isn't there?" Ariadne asked earning a nod with a regretful look tossed towards her.

"I have only met a few Summoners and they are very secretive," He ran a hand through his hair, "I won't be of much assistance,"

Ariadne barely refrained from cursing her luck, "And the coldness?"

"At the current moment, you are blocked off from your Summoner ability," Lykos' face was apologetic, "The potion will wear off in a few days after which you'll meet your tutor in all things Summoner," Ariadne opened her mouth and Lykos held up his hand, "I do not know who Brigid and Zane are getting to help you. All I know is that whoever it is will arrive when in a few days,"

"So what am I supposed to do?" Ariadne tried to sit up only to find it impossible.

"You'll be resting," Lykos informed her, "We're lucky it's a weekend, so you won't have to catch up with your classes. When you head back to classes on Monday, your teachers will be observing you and will make you sit out if they find that you're unable to keep up,"

Ariadne groaned softly, "Why is it that I'm spending so much time either unconscious or needing to rest?"

"The luck of your father's family is rather legendary," Lykos pointed out earning a glare from Ariadne, "Godric will be around in a few hours to take you back to your dorm. I will be dropping by to ensure you don't have a backslide. I would suggest you take a nap,"

Ariadne wanted to argue with him, but found herself unable to resist his suggestion.

* * *

Shareen looked at Ariadne with a frown, "So you're a Summoner as well as a Hunter? Damn, your parents must've been powerful even without access to their heritages."

Ariadne shrugged slightly, "I wouldn't know."

Sighing, Shareen settled back in the chair she'd been using, "So only your cousin and Mulnic know who your tutor is?" Ariadne nodded while shifting the things on her desk around, "Your luck is interesting."

"If I could find a way to shut it off, I would," Ariadne settled down at her desk after clearing it off a bit and pulled out the rune book they were currently working with in her runes class.

"I think the guys that like experimenting with things would get a kick out researching that for you," Shareen hummed lightly as she flexed her wings and picked up the worksheet she was supposed to be working on, "Why did I choose this class?"

"Because Grandfather wanted you to," Godric informed her from the door before looking at Ariadne, "How are you feeling?"

"Same as yesterday though it isn't as hard to move," Ariadne opened the book she was using to the correct chapter after pulling out a pen and some paper to write her essay on, "Is there always so much homework?"

Godric strode into the room and plucked his sister's worksheet from her hands earning a, "Hey! I need that!"

"It honestly depends on which stage of learning you're at and which classes," Godric looked over his sisters worksheet, "With Runes, you always have a lot of homework because of just how much stuff there is to learn," Godric snorted as he handed it back to Shareen, "Navigational magical studies is always up in the air since the teacher tends to jump around a bit," Godric walked over to peer down at Ariadne's essay, "Then again, High Arch is the best of the best, so a lot of homework is a small price to pay,"

Ariadne peered at the chapter for a few moments before beginning her essay, "And I'm imagining that every year will have more homework added on."

"Depending on the year, you might just have a few semester projects to worry about," Godric offered in a light tone, "You've made a small mistake on the Egyptian silencing ward. It was originally created by thieves to make stealing easier not by the guards,"

Ariadne quickly looked back at the book and sure enough, Godric was right. Ariadne crossed out the wrong information and wrote in the right one before looking at him, "So what's your plans for today?"

"I was hoping that both of you would like to abuse the nice weather and come with me to one of springs," Godric replied making both of the girls stop to look at him, "They have healing properties not to mention they're a good way to end the weekend,"

Shareen spoke up, "I thought only the higher years could go."

"First years can go if they're invited by a higher year," Godric informed her, "So what do you two say?"

"Alright," Shareen looked at Ariadne, "You in?"

Ariadne thought about it before nodding, "Sure."

* * *

Ariadne looked at the various animals milling about in the stables and commented, "I've never seen so many..."

"Most are either born or donated to the school by the various species that come to school here," Godric explained as they headed towards the back, "It's one of the ways to give back to the school that gives everyone so much,"

"So which ones are we taking?" Shareen asked as they came to the back.

"Find one that will let you ride them," Godric suggested as a rather interesting looking deer trotted up to him.

The deer was far larger than any that she'd seen before and covered in thick grey fur. It's antlers were a dark velvety red and towered over it's head. It's hooves were a deep almost crimson red color and seemed to create sparks each time they impacted the ground. It's eyes were a deep soulful red that glowed faintly in the dim lighting. Ariadne gasped softly, "Is that a..."

"Talis is an Elven Fire Hart," Godric smiled softly as he patted the side of the beasts neck, "He's my usual mount and a very even tempered guy unless you piss him off," Godric froze as he looked behind her and Ariadne felt something warm brush against her neck, "Oh..."

Ariadne slowly turned around and found herself saying, "Absolutely beautiful."

The beast that had walked up to her looked like a gigantic wolf. It's fur was mainly obsidian with a purplish blue undertone. It's eyes were a light golden orange color. It's paws were positively gigantic with razor sharp claws. It's ears were long like a rabbits and almost completely white save for the base of the ears. It's tail was far bushier than anything she'd seen before and tipped with a soft orange color that reminded her of it's eyes. Ariadne slowly reached out and held her hand out to it. The wolf sniffed at her fingers before licking them and nuzzling into her hand. Ariadne smiled softly as Godric said, "Well, I guess Aria has hers."

"What is he?" Ariadne asked Godric as she didn't recognize the beast.

"He's a Hunter-Class racer," Godric explained as he walked towards the wall which held odd looking saddles, "Rowan must like you if he's revealed himself and allowed you to touch him," Godric pulled down a saddle and walked over to her, "Let's get this on him, you'll need one for the first few rides,"

Rowan held still as Ariadne and Godric got him saddled. After being saddled, Rowan bent down which allowed Ariadne clamber onto his back and settle on the saddle before he got up. Godric quickly saddled his own mount as Shareen walked over leading another Elven Fire Hart. Once everyone had saddled their chosen mounts, Godric led the way out of the stables.

* * *

They reached the springs about forty minutes after leaving the stable which had allowed both Shareen and Ariadne to get a better grasp on just how large the High Arch grounds were. Godric pulled to a stop near an outcropping of trees, "Stop here, they'll be waiting for us when we get back."

Ariadne slipped off of Rowan's back and patted his shoulder, "Thanks for the ride, Big guy."

Rowan nudged her and licked her cheek before disappearing into the trees. Ariadne looked at Godric and he shrugged before moving towards an opening in the trees. Ariadne followed after him with Shareen and a small five minute walk later they were at the spring. Damien looked up and grinned, "Hey Ric, I didn't know you invited along the newbies."

"I figured they could use it and would abuse this privilege unlike some beings I know," Godric immediately began much to Ariadne's surprise.

Damien snorted and splashed water at him in reply. Shareen caught her look and explained, "No one really cares about propriety here."

"Ah," Ariadne felt a little awkward.

"If you don't want to go naked, you can always use a bathing suit," Godric informed her and Ariadne shook her head.

She hadn't thought to bring a bathing suit and it wasn't like the one she did have actually fit her anymore. Deciding to buy a new one at some point, Ariadne slowly undressed and slipped into the water only to groan softly, "Oh this is nice..."

"Mhmm," Shareen moaned softly, "Damn, this feels so amazing,"

"The spring will always be the perfect temperature," Damien informed them, "It's one of the more interesting innate magics at the school,"

Ariadne felt the aches and pains that had been caused by flight training finally begin to disappear. Closing her eyes, Ariadne sighed out, "They never had anything like this at Hogwarts."

Ariadne heard a low chuckle coming from right behind her and jumped forward with a squeak. Unfortunately, Ariadne ended up slipping on one of the plants inside the water and crashed into Godric. Godric caught her with ease and looked at whoever had startled her with a glare, "Did you have to startle my charge?"

"Sorry, Ric," The same low chuckle sounded and Ariadne turned her head to see one of those Humanoid hyena's, a hayen, stand right behind where she'd been sitting, "I couldn't help myself. The newbies always have such interesting reactions,"

Godric snorted, "I don't care if you hit any of the others, but my sister, my charge, and their friends are off-limits. Understand?"

The hayen raised his hands, "Understood, I have absolutely no intention of pissing off the only one that can go toe to toe with Vali and not end up with your face caved in," The hayen looked at Ariadne, "For an English born, you don't look as ugly as most of the bitches that come from that backwater country."

Instead of feeling insulted, Ariadne considered the hayen's words. With the more bestial beings, they don't usually see humans as beautiful. Hayen's like most canine derived beings tend to use 'bitch' as a general term to point out when someone is female. As the hayen in front of her probably didn't view humans as beautiful, Ariadne knew he was saying that while he didn't consider her a worthy prospect for a mate, she was still fairly attractive. Offering him a light smile, Ariadne said, "Most of the magical females that are not new blood tend to have come from inbreeding, my parents weren't related."

The hayen held out a hand, "The names Fal Agrinya."

Ariadne made her way over and took his hand, "Ariadne Dagny."

He dragged her out of the water licked her cheek before letting go of her. Too startled by the action, Ariadne didn't really have a chance to save herself, but Godric kept her from a rather bad fall. He help her sit back down while giving Fal a glare, "Wait until we're out of the water before doing that."

Fal had the decency to look sheepish as he slipped into the water, "I forgot she wasn't very well versed on other beings."

Godric shook his head and look at Ariadne, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Ariadne shook her head lightly, "What was that about?"

"It was the hayen greeting for acquaintances and allies," Fal informed her with a sheepish grin, "I hope that you'll forgive me for the scare,"

"No problem though warn me if you're going to do that again," Ariadne stretched her wings out behind her.

Fal's luminescent brown eyes focused on her wings, "Well that definitely fits the rumors."

"Rumors?" Ariadne looked at him in confusion.

Fal's left ear flicked a little as he ran a hand through the black spotted brown fur on his head, "There are a lot of rumors spreading about you and most of them tend to be good," Ariadne was used to rumors though that was back when she was Jasmine Potter, "The rumors I'm thinking of are the ones about your wings and their meaning. If you don't mind me asking, have they always been like that?"

Ariadne glanced at her wings which hadn't changed since she'd gotten them other than becoming more vibrant, "Ever since they came in."

"I see," Fal rubbed at his muzzle, "I guess I should mention that some of the students are thinking of stealing a few of your feath-"

"They try it and I'll kill them," Slipped out of Ariadne's lips before she even registered his words.

Flushing as she covered her mouth, Damien burst out laugh, "Oh man, I've forgotten how defensive you Hunter's are about your wings."

"It's fascinating that such a response is natural," Fal peered at her, "I would suggest being careful about your feathers then. Some of the more determined idiots won't care about natural responses like that,"

Ariadne reflexively brought a wing in front of her and stroked the feathers. The thought of anyone not worthy having even a single feather infuriated her to the point that she was ready to kill them. The fact that her instincts made such a thought feel natural was both startling and sickening. She didn't want to kill people. Demons, she didn't have a problem with since they were already going to kill her. Voldemort wasn't human in her mind and hadn't really been human save for when she met his journal self. Taking a deep breath, Ariadne forced her mind away from those thoughts and let her wing settle back to where it had been. She looked at her companions and said, "I'm still getting used to my instincts."

"Don't worry," Shareen smiled at her, "Fledgling Hunters always get a bit of leeway for the first six months of having their wings. Once your instincts settle, you'll be fine or at the very least, capable of controlling them,"

Ariadne nodded lightly feeling glad that she had friends that new this stuff.

* * *

It was on the ride back to school that Ariadne realized she'd ended up in Godric's lap multiple times. Flushing slightly and feeling mortified, Ariadne laid her head on Rowan's furry shoulder. Shareen let out a soft laugh, "Just realized where you ended up?"

"Doesn't that bother you?" Ariadne peeked at Shareen as Godric rode ahead of them with with Damien and Fal.

Shareen shrugged lightly, "Not really, it was an accident and there was nothing sexual about it."

Ariadne stared at her before realizing that Shareen was right. She was still mortified, but less so. Still, she wondered why it took so long for her to realize she'd ended up in Godric's lap.

* * *

The instructor her cousin and Zane had gotten for her was a grizzly old man that reminded her of Moody. He was practically covered in scars as was the beast that was apparently his summoned familiar. The beast looked like a grizzly bear and mountain lion had a child together with some sort of boar added in. It was an ugly son of a bitch and had the temperament of a feral cat being introduced to new people. Considering all the facts, Ariadne didn't quite know whether she should be scared of the man or respect him. As a result, Ariadne had decided to do an even mix of the two while keeping her distance from the man's summon. Brigid patted her shoulder as Master Boris and his familiar, Cain, settled down by the fireplace inside Zane's office. Master Boris grunted as he peered at her with his black eyes, "So she's the summoner you discovered? She looks like a fucking twig."

"Her relatives were not kind people and we've been working to right that," Brigid informed him.

Master Boris snorted softly as Cain opened his mouth. Ariadne got the surprise of her life as Cain actually spoke, "Does the cub have any idea what a Summoner is?"

"Gabriel gave her some knowledge, but you know that we do not have much information," Zane kept his tone even.

"Disappointing, but understandable," Cain sighed and peered at Ariadne, "Is there something wrong?"

Ariadne shook her head, "No, I've just never met an animal that could talk like a human. I mean I've met an Acromantula that did, but never a mammal."

Cain snorted softly and turned to look at his Summoner, "She has potential."

Master Boris rolled his eyes before barking out, "Come to see me in two days in front of this gods be-damned hellhole."

With that, Master Boris and Cain disappeared in a burst of mist. Ariadne looked at Zane and he shook his head and mutter, "Impolite jackasses that need to die."

Brigid giggled softly as Ariadne turned towards her in confusion, "Master Boris enjoys getting a rise out of Zane."

"Ah," Ariadne looked back towards the chair where the man had been sitting, "Will I be able to do that?"

"No, but you might learn something similar," Brigid smiled at her, "Why don't you head down and go spend time with your friends? I'll come to see you before I leave,"

* * *

Shareen and the others stared at Brigid as the leader of the Hunters smiled lightly at them. Ariadne turned to Godric and asked, "What's with you guys?"

Godric shook his head slightly and looked down at her, "It isn't often that we meet the leader of the Hunters. It isn't often that we meet a leader of any nation," Seeing Ariadne look slightly surprised, Godric chuckled, "You forgot she's the leader, didn't you?"

"No," Ariadne shook her head, "I didn't forget about her being the leader. It's kind of hard to forget. I guess it slipped into the back of my mind,"

Godric smiled lightly, but said nothing as Brigid walked over to Ariadne. Brigid smiled warmly at her cousin, "So who is this?"

"Cousin, I want you to meet my mentor, Godric Silver of the Snowclaw Gryffon shifter clan," Ariadne introduced before turning to Godric, "Godric, this is my cousin Brigid..."

Ariadne trailed off as she realized that she'd never actually figured out which clan Brigid belonged to. Seemingly knowing that she was struggling, Brigid finished, "Evans of the Hunters. It's a pleasure to meet the one that's ensuring my little cousin is going to survive her schooling."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Artemis," Godric bowed his head lightly and placed his right hand over his heart while clenching the other into a fist that settled on his stomach.

Brigid mimicked the gesture, "Your Grandfather taught you well. How is Arron?"

"Grandfather Arron is doing well if his last letter was of any indication," Godric smiled lightly at her as he relaxed, "My mother is planning on us going to see him this winter break as she has missed her old home," He grinned slightly, "My grandfather apparently decided to start up the old races again

"Well, I might just have to visit at some point to see him myself," Brigid let out a soft laugh, "Those races were rather fun though I do hope he chooses a better track than the one on and inside that volcano,"

"My mother would kill him if he didn't change it," Godric rolled his eyes before pointing to Shareen, "Lady Artemis, this is my younger sister, Shareen,"

Shareen shook herself from her shock and settled into the same pose as Godric had, "Lady Artemis, this is an honor."

"You've really taken after your father's clan," Brigid smiled lightly, "How is he doing?"

Ariadne watched as Brigid easily got her friends to relax and could definitely see why she's such a good leader. Eventually, Brigid took her leave after handing Ariadne a box and hugging the younger Hunter. Ariadne felt a little sad watching her cousin go, but forced it back as she looked over the box curiously. Godric spoke before anyone else could, "Let's head back to the dorm before you open that."

They quickly made their way to the door and Ariadne barely had time to sit down before Cameron burst out, "Open it!"

Chuckles left everyone at the excited tone before Ariadne opened the box. Almost immediately, everyone fell silent as they stared at what was inside of the box. Ariadne slowly reached in and pulled out the shrunken broom with slightly wide eyes. Shareen gasped out, "Is that what I think it is?"

"It's a Cloudracer 2010," Adrian whispered breathlessly.

Ariadne tapped the white and grey broom with a finger before watching it grow. It was slimmer than her old Firebolt and just a bit longer. Running her fingers along the smooth wood, Ariadne asked, "What's so special about Cloudracers?"

Shareen looked almost insulted before remembering that Ariadne didn't know a lot about most cultures, "Cloudracers are a series of brooms made by a group of High Arch graduates. They are the absolute best brooms on the line for both speed and comfort not to mention durability. The 2010 broom was made specifically with a Seeker in mind. The only way to get one is to be a High Arch graduate."

"Brigid went to High Arch," Edric eyed the broom with a small amount of awe.

Even if he wasn't big on brooms, the Drayden Hunter could appreciate the amount of spell work put into it. Ariadne looked at her friends and grinned, "So...Who wants to test this thing out?"

* * *

Lykos chuckled as he looked at the group flying around and commented, "You're going to spoil her."

"She deserves to be spoiled after all the shit that has happened in her life," Brigid replied while glaring at him, "I'm still mad at you,"

"I know and I'm mad at myself," Lykos grimaced slightly, "I should have realized she was a Summoner,"

"You've never had Summoner blood," Brigid pointed out earning a snort.

Lykos muttered softly, "Not that I didn't try, they're stingy bastards."

Brigid snorted as she handed him a glass of wine and the ancient checked it for potions before drinking it, "They have every right to be. With how potent their blood is, it isn't a surprise that they've gone into hiding."

"At the very least, I can say that I've tasted Summoner blood," Lykos sighed lightly.

Brigid shook her head, "Don't you dare. Do you know what will happen if word of a Summoner gets to _them_ before she's gotten any training?She'd be lynched."

Lykos snorted softly, "I am not a juvenile dog that goes off at the mouth in hopes of getting respect. I've already begun putting measures into place to ensure nothing happens. If information gets to them, it will be after she's had training. I have no intention of seeing her die."

Brigid stared at him for a few moments before murmuring, "Jasmine isn't her, you know?"

"I'm aware," Lykos glared at her, "Do you really think I could mix those two? I'm not so stuck in my grief that I cannot see the difference," Lykos' voice wavered as a sad smile appeared on his face and he turned back to the window to watch the group play around, "Sometimes, Jasmine acts so much like her it's like looking into a portal to the past. Sometimes, I wish Jasmine was her, but I know that it's impossible," Lykos closed his eyes with a sigh, "Immortality is a curse when it comes to things like this. To remember so much, is a curse,"

Lykos fell silent and Brigid looked out the window as silence reined through the room. The lives of the long lived were both cursed and blessed. Sometimes, Brigid wondered if it was truly worth it to live so long.

* * *

Ariadne shook her head wildly and glared at Shareen as the shifter laughed, "It isn't funny!"

"I beg to differ," Shareen snickered at her, "We were supposed to make ice sculptures not melt them,"

Ariadne growled at Shareen and tossed the fire ball that had caused this mess at the laughing shifter. Shareen yelped and dodged the livid flames as Ariadne worked on drying herself off. Ever since that warm feeling in her chest had returned, Ariadne found it harder to control certain parts of her magic. The current situation was a result of that. When Ariadne tried to use fire magic, she used ice magic instead. Ariadne ran a tired hand through her hair, "What am I doing wrong?"

"Fuck if I know," Shareen dusted herself off, "Maybe you need to meditate more?"

"I've been meditating," Ariadne argued with her, "I'm sick and tired of meditating since it isn't helping me!"

One of the vases in the room erupted into flames making Ariadne force herself to calm down. Shareen banked the fire and looked at Ariadne with concern, "You alright?"

Ariadne sighed deeply, "I have a headache that won't go away and it's making me irritable."

"Maybe you should go to the infirmary," Shareen suggested as she began cleaning up the room, "I mean if it isn't going away and Godric's potions aren't helping, you should get your head checked out,"

Ariadne was tempted to say no, but decided to go for it. If something could be done for her head, she would be immensely grateful. Ariadne helped Shareen clean up before heading to the infirmary. Ariadne opened the door only to duck as scalpels and other medical equipment were flung out of the door. Ariadne poked her head in when the torrent had stopped and asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Get back here, you little bastard!" A woman with shocking neon orange and pink hair yelled.

Before she could ask what was going on, something slammed into her chest and sent Ariadne stumbling back as she wrapped her arms around whatever it was. Ariadne's back hit the wall and she finally stopped stumbling back. She looked down and found what looked like fox in her arms. It was mainly covered in dark green fur with a few patches of emerald green scales. It's ears were much like a bat's and it had a pair of monarch butterfly wings sticking out of it's back. Ariadne looked into it's gigantic slitted pink eyes before looking back at the door to the infirmary. She felt the little being in her arms shiver as she walked over to the infirmary, "Uh, I think you lost this..."

"Tide," The woman dressed up like a healer said as she walked over, "Sorry, he managed to get away from me while I was attempting to give him his medicine,"

"It's fine," Ariadne assured her, "What is he? I've never quite seen something like him before,"

"Oh, he's a Cor," The woman informed her as she walked over to a rolling table and picked up a potion, "They're a subspecies of bestial fey that often act as both familiars and advisers. Tide is a young one," She turned back to Ariadne, "Mind holding him still? He always manages to get out of my hold,"

"Sure," Ariadne held the Cor carefully and kept a firm grip on him as he began to squirm.

The woman fed the potion to Tide before taking the Cor from her, "So how can I help you? I've never seen you around here before."

"I have a headache that won't go away no matter what I do," Ariadne told the healer, "And my magic won't behave. We were supposed to be making ice sculptures, but I ended up making a fire ball. When I tried making a fire ball, I made an ice ball," Ariadne added on, "My name is Ariadne Dagny,"

The healer frowned slightly, "That doesn't sound right. Take a seat, please. Oh and my name is Healer Thrane."

Ariadne took a seat on one of the beds as Healer Thrane grabbed her wand and Tide crawled onto the woman's shoulder. Healer Thrane walked over and began doing spell work as Ariadne looked on with a small amount of confusion. Edric had attempted to teach her some healing, but she could only do the basic stuff. She was better at applying potions and doing things the mundane way. It baffled Edric, but Godric had said some people were like that. Shaking her head lightly as Healer Thrane's frown deepened, Ariadne asked, "So did is there something wrong?"

"It seems your magic is imbalanced," Healer Thrane informed her, "Did something happen recently that made her magic act differently?"

"Well, Lykos was attempting to figure out what all I have in me and I had a really bad reaction to the last potion he gave me," Ariadne couldn't think of anything else, "Would that be the cause?"

"Perhaps," Healer Thrane walked over to the nearby wall where a stone sat, "Let me get Lykos in here,"

"No need to call," Lykos entered through the door to the infirmary carrying a heavy crate, "Is something going on?"

Healer Thrane took the box from him, "Thank you for brewing these," Healer Thrane put them onto one of the desks in the room, "Ms. Dagny seems to have a heavy imbalance with her magic. As she is still a year away from her magical inheritance, I am very puzzled by the imbalance."

Lykos looked slightly surprised, "Well, I suppose that would happen. Her magic will be imbalanced for a short while until she gets her familiar."

Healer Thrane's eyes widen, "So she's the-"

"Yes," Lykos cut her off before turning to Ariadne, "What's wrong?"

"I have a headache that won't go away and my magic is acting oddly," Ariadne informed him, "It does the opposite of what I want it to do,"

Lykos tapped his chin in thought before snapping his fingers, "Stay right here while I go get something that should help you out."

With that said, Lykos left the room using that transportation ability. Ariadne looked at Healer Thrane and the woman shrugged, "Lykos is always like that."

Ariadne nodded slowly before saying, "While I don't mean to be rude, what are you?"

"I'm a witch without anything special about me," Healer Thrane smiled as Ariadne looked at her in surprise, "While it is true that this school is far harder for those that are completely human, you'll find human graduates quite a bit,"

"Wow," Ariadne hadn't seen many human students, "I guess the human students have to learn a lot in order to keep themselves safe,"

"Mhmm," Healer Thrane hummed lightly as Tide jumped off her shoulder to nudge the crate of potions.

Lykos soon returned carrying what looked like a braided leather bracelet, "This should help," He handed it to her and Ariadne looked it over, "It will help channel and stabilize your magic. Once you get your summoned familiar, you should be fine."

Ariadne put on the bracelet and felt her headache begin to subside. The feeling of her magic which had been both sluggish and wild slowly began to settle. While it wasn't flowing as easily as before, it was in a far better state than it had been since Lykos had given her that stupid potion. Sighing softly, Ariadne said, "Thank you, this is so much better."

Lykos shrugged off her thanks, "You should go get to doing your homework."

Nodding to him, Ariadne got off of the bed and headed out of the infirmary with a wave.

 **Early update since I'll be busy for the next two days not to mention this is a good spot to stop.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Ten

* * *

It was nearing dawn when Ariadne walked out of the school following Lykos. It was only due to what was going to happen today that Godric had allowed her to skip out on morning training. Of course, Ariadne had a feeling that the shifter would ensure she made it up at some point and shuddered at the thought. Lykos looked around before taking out a watch and nodding to himself, "They should be here soon."

"What exactly is going to happen?" Ariadne asked him curiously.

Lykos shrugged lightly, "I am not a Summoner nor have I been given much information. All I know is that you'll return with whatever familiar you've summoned."

Breathing out a low sigh, Ariadne yawned softly, "I hate not having information."

Lykos chuckled softly before standing a bit straighter, "Master Boris, it has been awhile."

"Gabriel Lykos," Master Boris eyed the ancient vampire with disdain, "I see you haven't managed to die yet,"

"I have better things to do," Lykos replied with a smirk as the Summoner and his familiar walked up, "Though if you wish to try, I would be all for it. It has been far too long since I've had a challenge,"

Master Boris snorted, "Leave us, I do not need your tainted bloodsucking ass near us."

Lykos gave a mocking bow before patting Ariadne on the shoulder, "Good luck. You'll need it with that one."

With that, Lykos disappeared back into the school. Ariadne looked at Master Boris feeling nervous, "So what are we going to do exactly?"

"Not here, Twig," Master Boris turned and began walking away.

Rather than say anything, Ariadne quickly followed after the rather fast moving old man. Cain sniffed at her and grunted, "You stink of Ancient."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ariadne asked him.

Ariadne got the feeling that Cain was sneering at her and didn't press for an answer when he stayed silent. After walking for about five minutes, Master Boris swung around and grabbed Ariadne before twisting. Almost immediately, Ariadne felt the telltale feeling of apparition. The moment Master Boris let her go saw Ariadne on her knees attempting to catch her breath. Apparition was not fun and she really didn't want to do it again if she could help it. When she regained her breath and no longer felt sick, Ariadne rose up and found that Master Boris had been busy while she was down. Dark gold almost black magic swirled around the area as a lighter colored magic wove through the center of the clearing they were currently in. Master Boris and Cain were setting down stone in a circular patter. Ariadne looked around the area and found that she couldn't see anything beyond the dark gold magic. Master Boris spoke rather gruffly, "This is known as a Cylan Portal Nexus, the only ones able to properly use them are Summoners. Thanks to this, we are able to hide ourselves from the rest of the world."

"So we're going to use it?" Ariadne asked him curiously, "Where are we going?"

"To the temple of Argo where you will complete the ritual that will summon your familiar," Master Boris set down the last stone at the same time as Cain before taking out a knife and slitting his hand, "Get into the damn circle, we don't have much time before _they_ feel it's activity,"

"They?" Ariadne quickly entered the circle.

"Do not speak of _them_!" Cain roared loudly, "It will draw _them_ here!"

Master Boris nodded and began chanting in a strange language, _"Divu Ner Vulcious Ner Et Flux Dana Cou Ve Lom Agroius Nomia!"_

The magic around them swirled together violently and crashed down around them. Ariadne felt like someone was shoving her towards the ground while someone else was pushing her towards the sky. Blood roared in her ears and static raced across her skin. As quickly as it began, the feeling disappeared and Ariadne felt like she was weightless. Opening the eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed, Ariadne looked around in curiosity. They were slowly being lower to the ground by a wave of magic. Below them, a similar circle to the one Master Boris and Cain create was settled on the ground only it seemed permanent. A pathway extended from the circle and Ariadne's eyes widened as she saw what it led to. A giant temple made of gold-tinted bronze and green crystal practically gleamed in the slowly fading sunlight. The thing that truly took her attention was the massive crystal blue bird sitting on top of the temple. When they finally landed, Master Boris turned to her as Ariadne asked, "Is that..."

"Welcome to the temple of Argo," Master Boris told her, "The first true step in the direction of becoming a Summoner,"

* * *

They reached the temple after a thirty minute walk during which Ariadne looked around and observed their surroundings. Settled on either side of the pathway, statues of men and women back by quite clearly magical creatures that she'd never seen before. Each one had a small plaque written in a language she couldn't understand. Quite clearly, they were important Summoners and the creatures with them were their familiars. Somehow, Ariadne had a feeling that none of these people are alive at the moment. As they got closer to the temple, Ariadne finally broke the silence that had fallen over them, "Where in the world are we exactly?"

"We are not on that world anymore," Master Boris informed her earning a look of confusion from the teenager, "In order to survive, the Summoners and their familiars created a world that mirrors Earth. In order to get here from Earth, you must travel using the Cylan Portal Nexus' all over the world. However, the only time you'll be able to travel through them is if you have your familiar. Only when a Summoner and their familiar combine their power as one can you travel to this world,"

"Ominous and a little cliche," Ariadne couldn't stop herself from commenting.

Master Boris actually laughed at that. Cain snorted in amusement, "You aren't the only one to think that."

"So if only Summoners can use them, why were you two so hurried earlier?" Ariadne asked them making Cain growl loudly and bare his teeth as Master Boris glare ahead.

Master Boris spat out, "If _they_ managed to catch us while opening the portal and find a Summoner near one, _they_ will travel here and kill us all. _They_ have ways of controlling us."

"Who are _they_?" Ariadne had a really bad feeling about this.

"Summoners who have turned traitor and assist the demons into this world," Cain spat out, "Traitorous whores who have been corrupted and locked out of this world without any ability to return. If one managed to get here, _they_ would be able to travel here freely once more,"

" _They_ are the Cultists," Master Boris sneered, "Enough talk, we must hurry and get the damned ritual started before the moon rises,"

* * *

The temple of Argo was almost as large as High Arch only it was a single building rather than multiple ones. The steps leading up to the temple from the pathway were bracketed by two large statues. One was of a bear-like creature with horns and the other was of a snake-like creature with multiple legs like a centipede. Ariadne had a feeling that neither of them were simply statues. After a lot of stairs, they finally reached the entrance of the temple. It had no doors only a large opening between two massive fires. Master Boris led the way inside and Ariadne was surprised to find that neither of her companions made any sounds. Tapestries and statues lined the walls much like in the Den. After a long walk through halls that twisted and turned in every direction, they finally reached a large cavernous room.

The room was circular in shape with large circles etched into the ground covered in runes. In the exact center of the room, a pentagram sat with unlit candles settled at the edges. The scent of magic filled the air and Ariadne felt her heart beat quicken at the feeling of being watched. It was like multiple ancient eyes were focused on her and judging her. Looking around the room, she saw that it too had statues ringed around the circle, but unlike the rest of the temple, they were massive. As Ariadne looked at them, she realized that the feeling of eyes on her was coming from them. Before she could find her voice, Master Boris barked, "Get into the damn pentagram, we don't have time for you to gawk like a idiotic cunt, Twig."

Snapping out of her shock, Ariadne quickly moved towards the pentagram while feeling as if something heavy was pressing down on her the closer she got. By the time she reached the pentagram, Ariadne felt like some massive weight was crushing her. Trying to ignore it, Ariadne settled into the center of the pentagram and looked at Master Boris, "Now wha-"

A loud popping sound echoed through the air and the chamber was suddenly lit with flames. Candles and braziers that had gone unnoticed came into focus as they were lit by some unseen force. A fierce wind blew through the chamber and focused on the pentagram as the candles slowly became lit one by one. Master Boris spoke as the wind died down, "It is time, young Summoner. The ancient ones that bestowed upon us this gift have come to this chamber. Bare your soul and be judged, it is only by their will that you shall gain your familiar. Do you accept their judgement whatever it will be?"

Ariadne's arms slowly raised and her wings appeared. Ariadne felt like something had taken control of her body as a knife appeared just above her raised arms. One hand reached out and grabbed it before slashing the knife down her other arm. Pain seared through her as blood flowed out of the wound like a river. It floated in the air as she spoke, "I, Ariadne Dagny also known as Jasmine Potter and Eos of the Hunters, shall bare whatever judgement the ancient ones bestow with pride and dignity as a Summoner should. Untrained in the arts they bestowed upon us, I beg for them to take that into account. I accept whatever they decide."

As soon as the final words left her lips, Ariadne regained control of her body. Clutching her bleeding arm close to her body, she struggled to keep herself from falling to her knees. The blood that was floating above her rose up and glowed as energy from the various statues reached out. A low hum filled the air as the energies reached it and Ariadne watched as her blood dissolved. The heavy weight increased as the various energies began to swirl around her. Taking a deep breath, Ariadne forced herself to stay on her feet and watched the energy curiously. After what felt like hours, the energies separated and returned to the individual statues save for a single energy. The remaining energy was a pulsing gold tinted white that screamed playfulness. It converged in front of her and a cloud appeared before disbursing leaving a gigantic creature behind. The creature looked much like a rather fluffy wolf only with multiple tails. It grinned at her and spoke to Ariadne's shock, "Hello, my dearest chosen."

"Chosen?" Ariadne asked while looking at the creature in shock, "Who or what are you?"

"I am the great spirit Yoko," The creature settled down, "I am one of the twelve great spirits that blessed the Summoners many years ago just as the Mother in the Moon blessed the Hunters,"

Ariadne stared at the creature for a few moments as she wrapped her head around it, "So what does being chosen mean?"

"It means that I'm your patron spirit," Yoko replied with a chuckle, "Your familiar is going to be one of what is considered my children. Of course, if you don't want me to be your patron, you could always end up with one of the others,"

"It's fine," Ariadne shook her head lightly, "I'm just..."

"Out of it?" Yoko smirked lightly, "Since you were not raised as a Summoner, you wouldn't know what would happen. I look forward to see how you do,"

Ariadne felt a little light headed, "What now?"

"I touch you and gift you my blessing," Yoko stood up and walked towards the pentagram, "Just a warning, you'll probably be in pain for a little while and go unconscious if it's too much. Of course, I doubt you'll fall unconscious since you're fairly good at dealing with pain," Yoko reached out with a tail towards her forehead, "Blessed be, my chosen. Bare my marks and those of my child's with pride,"

The spirits tail felt oddly like soft warm fur and Ariadne rather like it. It settled there for a few moments before sinking in much to her shock. Almost immediately, Ariadne's shock transformed into pain as what felt like hot electricity began to race through her body. Wave upon wave of the energy filled her being and nearly brought Ariadne to her knees from the pain. It was only due to the pain of her wings coming in that she managed to stay conscious through the entire process. When Yoko removed his tail, Ariadne fell to her knees as she pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead and chest. She breathed hard as the pain began to fade away leaving only a minor ache. Looking up at Yoko, Ariadne snapped, "What the hell was that?"

"My blessing," Yoko chuckled and extended a tail revealing a clear stone that he dropped into her lap, "Call upon your familiar, my chosen. It is time for you to meet and this ritual to be done,"

Ariadne slowly picked up the stone and felt warmth pulse through her. The stone became cloudy as colors began to bleed into the once clear object. Warm orange tinted reds and light almost white blue seeped into the stone followed by soft golden yellows. The colors shifted and blurred together before finally settling in a swirled pattern. The warmth coming from the stone seeped into her body and Ariadne's eyes closed as it seemed to take away all the pain that lingered within her. She felt the warm coil around her heart before slowly leaving her chest. Opening her eyes, she watched as an orb of color mimicking the stone floated lightly in front of her chest. Reaching up with her injured arm, Ariadne slowly touched the orb as she breathed out, "Mine."

The orb pulsed brightly before forming into the creature that would be her familiar. The first thing to form was the creatures furry legs which was quickly followed by a bushy tail and a pair of bushy fox-like ears. The next thing to form was the creatures head which was lupine in shape with a longer than normal muzzle. The last thing to form was the creatures' body which was lithe and vaguely cat-like. With a soft pop, the orb burst and released her familiar. Ariadne caught it carefully and settled the fluffy being in her lap before taking a better look at it. The creature in her lap was covered in mostly ice blue tinted white fur that was fluffy and downy soft. The creature's paws and a little bit above them were a dark orange. The creature's tails were tipped with soft golden yellow fur. It was small like a puppy and fairly light. When it opened it's eyes, Ariadne's breath caught as they were the same emerald green as hers. It yawned softly and blinked at her before a soft murmur left it, "Jazzy?"

"Hello, little one," Ariadne's heart felt both heavy and light with how much love she was feeling at that moment as words left her lips, "I've been waiting to meet you for so long,"

"Why are you crying?" The creature asked as Ariadne reached up to brush them away.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you," Ariadne smiled largely.

It seemed to smile at her, "And I'm so happy to finally meet you too."

"Well," Yoko spoke up breaking up the moment, "As nice as this is, I need to be returning to my slumber and you two need to get to work. First, I need to know your name, my child,"

"My name is Kiyo," The little creature in her lap looked at the spirit with pride, "And I'm a girl,"

"Then Kiyo, I wish you well, my child," Yoko seemed to smile at both of them before disappearing.

Ariadne slowly tried to get up only to find her legs unresponsive. She reached up to grip her head as a wave of nausea and dizziness hit her. Kiyo let out a concerned whine, "Jazzy."

Ariadne looked at her arm and grimaced, "I guess I've lost too much blood."

Kiyo looked at the injury and seemed to grimace. Moving towards it, Kiyo shocked Ariadne when she licked the wound. Ariadne was about to push her away when she noticed the pain going through her arm stop. Looking closer at the wound, Ariadne saw that it was healing as Kiyo licked away the blood. When her new familiar finished, the injury was gone leaving only a single silvery scar that was slowly beginning to fade. Kiyo nodded to herself, "That should take care of that though a blood replenisher would be a good idea."

"How did you..." Ariadne trailed off.

Kiyo seemed to beam at her, "My saliva has a lot of healing properties. I believe that I got that ability due to the phoenix tears still floating around in your blood."

Ariadne wanted to question her about that, but didn't get a chance as Master Boris growled, "Get your asses outta that circle, we have shit to do before I take you back to that hellhole."

* * *

After getting a blood replenisher shoved down her throat, Ariadne was led to a rather large room filled with scrolls. She was shoved into a chair and told to sit there until Master Boris returned with Cain. Kiyo had taken up residence on her head for the walk and didn't seem like she'd be leaving that space anytime soon. Ariadne was somewhat amused by her new familiar's actions. Pushing away that amusement, Ariadne asked, "So what do you know about me?"

"Everything," Kiyo hopped off of Ariadne's head and onto the Hunter's lap, "Due to our connection, I know everything about your past," Ariadne reached out and began to pet Kiyo's back, "It's how summoned familiars are so perfect for our Summoner. You're mine and I'll do whatever it takes to protect your interests,"

Ariadne was both a little freaked out and happy. Deciding to think about that later, Ariadne asked, "What other abilities do you have? Can you heal with more than your spit?"

"I can add poison to my bites that will act much like a basilisks venom," Kiyo informed her and Ariadne made a mental note to keep that as a last resort, "I am unsure about this, but I believe that I could fly if I really tried," Which was a plus and they would definitely be attempting that at some point, "I can use the same elemental abilities as you though the rest of your magic is fairly out of my reach," It made sense even if it was a little disappointing, "I think I'll be able to speak parseltongue, but I might not. As for any other healing abilities, I am very unsure and only time will tell if I can do more. More than likely, my saliva will become more powerful alongside my poison over time as we both age,"

"So we're basically playing a guessing fame with your abilities?" Ariadne asked earning a nod, "Joy. By the way, I would prefer it if you only called me Jazz in private when we get back to High Arch. I don't need anyone, save for those already in the know, knowing about my little secret,"

"Of course," Kiyo promised, "I would never endanger you by speaking of something that will clearly get more of a target placed upon you,"

"Thank you," Ariadne sighed as relief filled her.

The door to the room opened and Master Boris walked in followed by a rather old man that somewhat reminded her of Professor Flitwick. He beamed at Ariadne as his snidget shaped familiar cooed at her. It actually looked like one of the endangered creatures save for the fact it had a bright shock of electric green feathers going from it's head to it's bottom. The old man looked her over and nodded, "Yes, she will definitely do amazingly. What is your name, my dear?"

"Ariadne Dagny," Ariadne informed him, "And this is Kiyo,"

"A fine name for someone looking for a new beginning," The man headed to his desk and settled down, "However, I do require both your actual name and Hunter name for the records. The public records will show the name you're currently using while our private ones will show your true name,"

"It won't get out?" Ariadne asked earning a nod, "My name is Jasmine Potter and my Hunter name is Eos,"

"A Hunter with feathers stained by the dawn," The man murmured softly as he took out an old looking book and opened it to a blank page, "Oh yes, we have been waiting to meet you for a long time,"

"Huh?" Ariadne felt a little creeped out.

The old man shook his head, "Don't mind me, I'm talking to myself. You Hunter's have so many oddly colored wings and I've met many that held the colors of the various times of day save for dawn."

"I see," Ariadne shifted slightly as Kiyo climbed onto Ariadne's shoulder, "Who are you, exactly?"

"I am Travis Born," He introduced himself, "And this is my familiar, Ant. I am the record keeper for the Summoner's,"

Master Boris cleared his throat, "Are you done?"

"Just need her to sign this contract and we'll be golden," Travis replied while placing a piece of parchment in front of Ariadne with a familiar quill that caused her to stiffen, "Now, now it isn't a bad contract. It's just a vow to keep your familiar safe and not speak of any Summoner secrets that you may learn,"

Ariadne took the contract and began to read it over rather than outright signing it. If there was one thing she'd learned over the years, it was that magical contracts were binding and not reading one over as carefully as possible was a surefire way to get yourself fucked over if not killed. Ariadne felt Kiyo move to her shoulder to get a better view of the contract. Ariadne made note of a few loopholes and promised herself to remember them. When she finished, Ariadne looked at Kiyo, "Did you find anything?"

"No, it's straight forward," Kiyo returned to her former position.

Setting the contract down, Ariadne carefully signed her birth name while ignoring the sting that came with using a blood quill. After she finished, Ariadne handed the materials back to Travis and he nodded, "That's it, I do hope you come again. I've always been very fascinated with you Hunters."

* * *

Master Boris took her around the temple to gather supplies she'd need for taking care of Kiyo and hiding the fact she was a Summoner. By the time they were done, Ariadne was about ready to fall asleep and was relieved that it was the weekend. After returning to High Arch, Master Boris took her up to Zane's office before leaving. Zane looked at Kiyo with a mixture of curiosity and happiness, "At the very least, your familiar isn't that outlandish as some of those that I've seen. I am curious as to why she looks more like a cat/fox hybrid than a canine."

"Why would she look like a canine?" Ariadne asked him curiously as Kiyo looked around the office.

"Usually the first creature you share a strong reaction with in creature magic is the one that's highly likely to either be your first animagus form or share some characteristics," Zane explained as he pulled out a file and opened it before beginning to write something down, "Seeing as you ended up with a wolf, we thought you'd end up with a either a canine or lupine animal as your primary animagus form. Seeing as Kiyo is your summoned familiar, we can assume that your animagus form is going to be a cat of some sort though it'll share some characteristics with a wolf,"

Ariadne nodded as a thought hit her, "Headmast-"

"Call me Zane," Zane cut her off, "Seeing as your Brigid's cousin, we are family despite not being of blood. Not to mention, my little grandniece is very fond of you,"

Ariadne considered his words before realizing that her earlier thought was likely correct, "You're related to Luna."

"Mhmm," Zane hummed lightly, "Such a bright girl, it's a shame she's more human than fae, but I suppose that's how things are,"

"You're a fae?" Ariadne asked earning a light nod.

"There are many species within the fairy-folk, I am most fae while dearest Luna is mostly human," Zane explained in a kind tone, "She misses you greatly, but understands why you had to leave. She asked me to pass on a message to you, 'The school is infested with wakaspurts, but the defense is fighting them off.'. I won't assume that I know what she means,"

"It's Luna," Ariadne was happy to know that they were keeping up the DA which would be helpful for those in school, "Anyway, I was wonder when we would begin attempting our animagus forms,"

Zane paused in his writing to look up at her, "Eager?"

Ariadne nodded lightly, "Yes."

"I won't ask why," He returned to writing, "Depending on your teacher's decisions, you might be beginning the animagus training within the next month or so," Zane waved a hand towards the door, "If there is nothing else you wish to ask, I need to continue my work,"

Ariadne picked up Kiyo, "Thank you, Zane."

He waved her off and Ariadne left the room.

* * *

Kiyo looked around the room with a careful eye, "So this is your dorm room?"

"Mhmm," Ariadne walked towards her bedroom to grab the supplies she needed, "You can explore if you'd like just stick either in here or my room. Godric's is off-limits,"

"Noted," Kiyo replied as Ariadne gathered her things before moving back into the common room area, "What are you doing?"

"Putting together my first bloodmagic ritual," She told her familiar, "I was finally cleared for my first ritual. All I need to do is design it. I'm going for a healing ritual,"

Kiyo nodded as Ariadne settled down, "I suppose that makes sense. While strength, speed, and everything else are important, they mean nothing when you're too injured to do anything," Kiyo looked towards Godric's room, "Where is he?"

"I believe he's spending time with his sister," Ariadne ran a hand through her hair as she took out the sheets containing the rune schemes usually used in healing bloodmagic, "If you don't meet him today, you'll definitely meet him tomorrow when he comes to get me for morning training,"

Kiyo said nothing as she slipped off to explore and Ariadne focused on her ritual.

* * *

Hermione looked over the students of the DA both new and old. She felt a bit of pride upon seeing that Slytherin was also participating and being assisted by all houses. Professor Flitwick, the current faculty member watching over the 'club', smiled lightly, "You all are doing very well for yourselves."

"Yeah," Hermione smiled largely, "It took a bit of convincing, but I'm glad the school has banded together,"

"I think Ms. Potter would be both touched and surprised by what you've managed to do," Professor Flitwick continued as he observed the upper years assisting the younger ones.

Hermione nodded as her mind drifted to Jasmine, "Yeah."

Professor Flitwick placed a hand on her arm and smiled warmly, "Ms. Potter will return, Ms. Granger. She isn't the kind of person to give up. She inherited that much from her mother."

Hermione looked at the Professor for a few moments before saying, "I know she'll come back. I'm just hoping we'll be ready for it when the time comes," Hermione bit her bottom lip, "Professor, can I ask something of you?"

"Depending on what it is, I'll see what I can do," Professor Flitwick looked at her curiously.

Hermione flushed lightly, "Books and working together are really good for us, but we need something else. I know that as a former duelist, you would have had to come up with a lot of things that aren't normally seen."

"You wish for me to help teach these children how to think outside the box?" Professor Flitwick clarified.

Hermione nodded lightly, "That and maybe go into the records of your past students? Surely there would be some examples of students doing something against the norm. If a student in the past can do it, why can't we?"

"So you want to inspire them by showing them just because they're students doesn't mean they can't do amazing things?" Professor Flitwick grinned, "I do believe that I won't be the only Professor contributing to this project. Ms. Granger, you've truly grown and I know that Ms. Potter will be very proud of you,"

Professor Flitwick raced off to go help a few students and Hermione watched him go. Smiling softly, Hermione murmured, "You'll be shocked when you get back, Jazz. I wonder if you've changed as much as we have in such a short time."

* * *

Godric came in sometime near eleven at night and saw Ariadne passed out on her usual couch. Chuckling softly, he walked over and found that she'd been working on her first ritual. Looking it over, he nodded to himself feeling glad that she was focusing on her health. Carefully, Godric put things away before picking up Ariadne. He moved towards her room and almost dropped his charge upon seeing the fluffy cat-like fox sitting on her bed. The fox peered at him eyes the exact shade of emerald green as Ariadne. When it spoke, Godric forced himself out of his shock, "So you're her mentor here."

"And you must be her new familiar," Godric replied as he walked over and carefully settled Ariadne down, "What's your name and gender?"

"Kiyo and I'm a girl," The creature informed him, "Thank you for watching over her when I could not,"

"She's my charge and friends with my little sister, I kinda have to watch over her," Godric took off Ariadne's shoes and placed them down before covering her with the thin blanket, "Not to mention, she's become a friend to me as well,"

Kiyo moved to settle beside Ariadne's head on the pillow, "Are you not curious about her past?"

Taken off guard by the sudden question, Godric froze where he was turning away and looked down at the cat-like creature. He stared at her for a while before shaking his head, "I maybe curious, but I won't push her. When she's ready, I'll be willing to listen and not a moment before then."

"You are diffrent from the others," Kiyo noted before settling down, "I hope for my bonded's sake it stays that way,"

"Hurting her is the last thing on my mind," Godric informed her with a frown, "I understand that people in her past have betrayed her trust, but do not assume I would do the same,"

Kiyo laid her head down, "Goodnight, Godric Silver."

Godric hesitated for a moment before deciding to leave it alone. He paused at the door and glanced back at Ariadne. A soft smile curved his lips and warmth filled his eyes as he looked over his hard working charge. He heard the sound of the door opening and Damien peaking his head in, "Ari asleep?"

"Yeah, she ended up passing out," Godric shook himself and exited the room fully, "Let's be quiet, I want to get this done and get some sleep,"

* * *

Zane ran a hand through his hair, "So that's what Boris said that Travis told her?"

"Yes," Brigid settled down across from her friend, "She won't get a break, will she?"

"Has anyone from your line ever gotten a break?" Lykos asked as he walked into the room carrying a crystal glass of blood.

Brigid tossed the vampire an irritated look, "Jazz already has enough on her plate. Is there anyway to delay this for at least ten years? That should give her enough time to finish growing and actually get some happiness."

Zane sighed deeply and gave Brigid a regretful look, "I want to give her as much time as possible, but when word gets out, she will be targeted by both sides. It's a blessing that Travis and those of the temple are bound in secrecy otherwise Jasmine would be thoroughly fucked."

Brigid looked down at her hands as tears gather in her eyes and she clenched her hands. Why did it have to be her cousin? Why did it have to be Jasmine? Why couldn't it have been her or someone else? Brigid swallowed heavily and whsiepred, "How long?"

"At the very least, we can keep this silent for a year maybe two," Zane looked at Brigid with a frown, "You'll need to keep your council from speaking about it. As for the rest of your people, I suppose ignorance would be best,"

"That will be difficult, but if it gives my little cousin more time, I will do it," Brigid looked towards Lykos, "I know it is a lot to ask my friend, but pl-"

"You don't need to ask me," Lykos smiled at her, "She may not be mine, but I've grown attached,"

Brigid smiled at him while wiping away the tears. She whispered softly, "Mother in the moon, I beg of you. Allow Jasmine two years, she needs the happiness she can gain. Please..."

* * *

"Severus..." Voldemort called out causing the potions master to inwardly flinch, "Come forward,"

Snape slowly began to walk forward until he was standing in front of the monstrous form of Voldemort, "Yes, My lord?"

"Where is the Potter girl?" Voldemort demanded with a frown, "I cannot enter her dreams nor feel our connection. Where is Dumbledore hiding her?"

Snape swallowed softly, "My lord, Dumbledore isn't hiding her. At some point during the summer, Potter ran away and no has been able to find her. Dumbledore create his tale about taking her away for training as a cover."

Voldemort hissed in anger, "And you didn't think to inform me? I've been wasting resources attempting to find the damnable safe-house Dumbledore was keeping her at. Crucio!"

Snape bit back the scream that wanted to leave him as the spell hit. He withered in pain for nearly a full minute before the curse was stopped. Gasping, Snape asked, "What do you wish for me to do?"

"Is the Potter girl alive?" Voldemort asked earning a slow nod.

"Dumbledore went to Gringotts at multiple points and has been told she is alive," Snape took a deep breath and tried to keep himself from trembling as he slowly rose to his feet, "They won't say anything more no matter what he does and without alerting the Ministry to Potter's disappearance, he can't ask them for a warrant,"

"I see," Voldemort stroked Nagini's head as he thought about that, "Is there anything else that you know?"

"Potter's friends have no clue where she is," Snape replied after a few moments, "The wolf doesn't either,"

"So the girl has cut off all contact?" Voldemort smiled lightly, "Oh yes, I can see how this will work in our favor. Bella?"

"Yes, M'lord?" Bellatrix walked forward and bowed lightly.

Voldemort chuckled softly, "I need you to gather a group of men and go searching for the girl. Once you have Potter, I want her brought to me. Without being in contact with Dumbledore and his pets, I can finally capture her and go through with my plans."

"Of course," Bellatrix bowed again.

Voldemort turned back to Snape, "Snape, I want you to be at the head of the contingent going to the Hunters. I would normally have Lucius do so, but as he has failed me and is currently imprisoned, you will be the one to do so. I want the Hunters on my side of this."

Snape frowned slightly, "My lord, Dumbledore is attempting to do the same."

"I am aware," Voldemort sneered at Snape.

Snape shook his head, "I mean no disrespect, my lord, but I do not know how well this will work. The Hunters are notorious for staying out of conflicts unless they involve a Hunter being injured by one side."

"Severus, I am fully aware of what the Hunters history," Voldemort smiled nastily, "Which is why I'm going to ensure they join us. After all, why would the Hunters not hesitate to harm those that have killed their children?"

Snape's eyes widened in horror for a brief moment before he hid his shock behind the mask he had used for years, "I see."

"You leave in three days," Voldemort's tone brokered no argument, "Go!"

 **Well...I suppose that conflict is starting after nine chapters. I don't have too much to say about this chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven

* * *

Kiyo was stretched out across Ariadne's shoulders as she headed down to breakfast with Godric on Monday. The shifter had been rather quiet this morning which was rather odd and worrying. Glancing at him, Ariadne asked, "Is something wrong, Godric?"

"No," Godric shook his head lightly and offered her a strained smile, "Why do you ask?"

"You're really quiet this morning," Ariadne told him with a worried frown, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Godric sighed softly, "Just a bit worried about my test this morning,"

Ariadne nodded slightly, "I'm sure you'll do fine. Which class is it?"

"Runes," Godric replied as Kiyo shifted on her shoulders.

"I definitely think you'll pass since Runes is your best subject," Ariadne assured him earning a sheepish smile, "Do you always get nervous around tests?"

Godric shrugged lightly, "Sometimes."

Ariadne patted his shoulder and they entered the food hall where only a small amount of the students were there. They grabbed their food and sat down across from Shareen. Shareen looked at her brother curiously, "Any idea where everyone else is?"

"From what I heard, the ones graduating this year, their charges, and two other years got randomly chosen to go to the Den for the first exhibition of the year," Godric informed her after swallowing the food in his mouth, "The next one will occur in a month though who will be doing it is up in the air. The only ones that know are the teachers,"

"I kinda hope it's the elemental magic classes that get chosen," Damien commented as he sat down beside Shareen, "It would be fun since the ones that do the exhibition stay two full days at the Den with a half day at the end. I had a lot of fun not only spending the night there, but flirting with the really adorable Hunters,"

Shareen blinked before turning to Ariadne, "What's your favorite part of the Den?"

Ariadne shrugged as she took a bite of her breakfast sandwich. After eating a few more bites, Ariadne replied, "I don't really know since we didn't really have time to explore once we got our wings. You would be better off asking one of the other Hunters."

"Shame," Shareen picked up a grape, "Sometimes I forget you didn't grow up with the other Hunters. You've really made up for the fact you came from England,"

Ariadne grinned at her, "Which is the point."

Shareen smiled at her in return before gesturing to Kiyo, "Does she eat anything?"

"Kiyo ate before we came down," Ariadne reached up to run her fingers through Kiyo's soft fur.

Shareen nodded slightly, "So ready for class?"

"Yeah," Ariadne smiled lightly, "I have my first ritual coming up,"

* * *

Brigid looked at the letter that had been sent to her by the old goat. Unlike the one sent to her by that snake-faced bastard, it hadn't been spelled and trapped until the entire thing radiated magic. Sighing softly, she opened the letter as it would be best to see what he wanted and wondered if he was going to ask for them to release that thief again. Reading through it, Brigid's eyes narrowed and a screech of anger left her causing Kaze to dart into the room with Lina. Brigid read the letter aloud to them:

 _Dear Lady Artemis,  
I wish that I didn't need to send a letter like this, but I have unfortunately received news that is most dire. Rather than use the same methods as myself and attempt to gain your favor the right way, Tom Riddle AKA Voldemort has decided to use force. I have a spy within his inner circle and have learned of his plans. I have sent this letter to hopefully prevent the tragedy that Tom wishes to commit and gain the chance to speak with you. Tom has decided to kill your children and blame it upon my side in order to gain your alliance. I cannot condone such a terrible act. I do not know how he is planning on doing this, but I would suggest you keep a good eye upon your people's children.  
On another note, Tom plans on having Jasmine Potter found and captured by some of his worst followers. I do not know fully what he intends to do, but I know that killing Jasmine would be quite high on his list. I do not know if you've met her or even care, but Jasmine Potter must be kept safe. So much is riding upon her young shoulders and she must be returned to England. Please, if you know where she is or have her in your care, I implore you to return her to me. I do not know why she left in the first place and fully intend to ask her when I finally find her. If you cannot or will not return her, I ask that you keep her safe as Tom will not give up on her. Of that, I can assure you.  
_ _Sincerely,  
_ _Albus Dumbledore_

Brigid looked at her two companions and saw the rage within their eyes, "That is only the important parts of the letter, I need both of you to get the entire Den to work. Kaze, I need you to inform the various divisions of what has occurred and get them to work on counter measures. Lina, I want you to assemble the guard and tighten security on every weak point. Both of you, we must keep the children safe. Anyone under the age of 16 is to be brought into the Den and kept under watch. No non-Hunter is allowed withing five feet of them. I want everyone to know that our children are being threatened and if they see any English wizard, they must alert the guard. No one is allowed to harm our children. No one!"

Both snapped to attention and saluted her, "Yes, Lady Artemis!"

They raced off to go do as she bid and Brigid set down the letter. She stood up from her desk and walked over to the locked cupboard near the fire place. She took out her keys and unlocked it revealing a dark grey stone set into the wooden wall. Cutting her palm, Brigid pressed it against the stone and felt a warm pulse of magic coil up her arm. The wall cracked open and reveled a shrunken trunk. Removing it, Brigid returned to her desk and placed down the trunk. With a wave of her hand, the trunk expanded until it was a normally sized trunk. Markings and runes were carved into the wood of the trunk which glowed faintly with ancient magic. Brigid ran her fingers along the trunk remember when she'd first saw it.

* * *

*Flash back*

 _"Mother?" A twenty five year old Brigid knocked on the door, "You called for me,"_

 _"Ah, Brigid," A soft voice echoed through the air, "Come in, my child,"_

 _Brigid entered the ancient study that all Hunter leaders used and found her mother standing there. Crimson red hair fell across slim shoulders as dark jade eyes focused on her. Brigid's eyes focused on her mother's wings which were a dark almost blood red. The white bandages dressing her left one were slowly becoming stained with blood informing the world that they would need to be changed soon. Amira, the current Lady Artemis, noticed Brigid's eyes and smiled tiredly. Brigid walked towards the desk, "Mother, you should go see a healer."_

 _"I will in time, my child," Amira's voice was soft as she waved a hand to her desk, "I called you here for a reason,"_

 _"Is it about Father? Has he been found?" Brigid tried not to sound too hopeful as it had been months since her father had been seen._

 _Amira shook her head and Brigid's heart deflated as the almost familiar ache filled her. Amira sighed softly, "Come here, Brigid. The matter we must discuss is not that."_

 _Brigid frowned as she obeyed her mother, "Is something wrong?"_

 _"Not wrong, not yet," Amira waved a hand to her desk, "Do you know what this is?"_

 _Brigid looked at the trunk sitting on her mother's desk and her eyes widened slightly, "That's Luthor's chest! It was los-"_

 _"Not lost, my child," Amira cut her off with a soft laugh, "It was hidden,"_

 _"Hidden?" Brigid moved closer the trunk that radiated ancient magic, "But why?"_

 _Amira sighed softly, "Brigid, Luthor's chest contains something that only the leaders of the Hunter's can use. I brought you here to show it to you."_

 _"But why?" Brigid looked at her mother in confusion._

 _Amira ran a hand through her hair, "Because one day, our people will be in grave danger and the item inside will be needed. I do not know when nor if it will occur in my life time, so I must ensure my successor knows about it as well."_

 _"Successor?" Brigid's voice went hoarse as her mouth dried out, "M-me?"_

 _Amira inclined her head, "Yes, you are young, but that doesn't stop you from doing so many great things. I know that you will be a good leader, but that is years away," Amira noticed Brigid's discomfort and shook her head, "Now, I hope you don't need to use this, but someday you might."_

 _*_ End of Flashback*

* * *

Brigid shook her head slightly and pushed the memory back as she began opening the trunk, "I had hoped that I would never need to use this either, Mother."

The trunk opened and steam poured from it as an orb rose up. To anyone looking inside, the orb would seem like any other crystal ball in circulation, but this orb was not normal. With careful hands, Brigid grabbed the crystal ball and carefully removed it from the trunk as the door to her office opened. Lykos froze mid-step and stared at the crystal ball with wide eyes. He shook himself and looked at Brigid, "Something happened, didn't it?"

"I assume something happened at High Arch," Brigid replied in a dry tone earning a wince, "At the current moment, my people's children are being threatened by the psychotic wizard after Jasmine,"

"That's bad," Lykos closed the door behind him, "And what I'm about to say is worse,"

"Is Jasmine going to die?" Brigid asked earning a negative shake of Lykos' head, "Is she injured?"

"Just some minor sprains that will be healed fairly soon and some cosmetic damage that's already healing," Lykos replied as he drew closer.

Brigid nodded as she set the crystal ball on the normally unused side table in her office, "Then, I see no reason to worry about it right now. Jasmine can wait until I've taken care of my people and ensured none of them die."

Lykos grimaced at her words, but said nothing. Brigid nodded to herself and got to work while a bit of dread hit her. She just couldn't shake the thought that she'd done something wrong, but Brigid had to ignore it. She loved Ariadne, but keeping their people alive was important. The question that bugged her was: Would she regret making Jasmine wait?

* * *

Ariadne clutched at her stomach as she vomited up more blood and bile. Shareen rubbed her back and kept her hair held back as Ariadne shiver violently, "Eddy! Have either of you healers found anything yet?"

"No!" Edric shouted as he slammed his fist into the stone table, "Stop asking!"

"Well sorry if I'm fucking worried about my friend," Shareen hissed at him before wincing as Ariadne whimpered softly, "Easy, Ari. Easy, they're doing everything they can,"

"Who the fuck did this to her?" Edric growled loudly as he worked with Healer Thrane to find a way to help Ariadne.

"I don't know, but I'm going to murder the ones that did this," Healer Thrane hissed softly as she moved over to Ariadne and began using even more complex diagnosis charms on her, "Tell me again when this started?"

"We were in our elemental magic class and practicing the things that would be on our practical test coming up," Shareen winced as Ariadne shuddered violently though she was glad the Hunter wasn't puking anymore for the moment, "She seemed fine for the first half of the class, but got progressively tired. By the end, she was light headed and seemed to be a bit daze which isn't surprising since we used a lot of magic. It wasn't until after dinner that it really got bad since she seemed just fine. We were heading up to her dorm room to study when her stomach started bothering her. She took a potion to sooth her stomach and we studied for about thirty minutes before she doubled over and started puking. We tried to figure out what was wrong, but came to you when we realized she was puking up blood,"

Healer Thrane cursed darkly before asking, "Did she have any other symptoms? Did her eyes gain any odd colors?"

Shareen shook her head, "I don't think so. I wasn't paying attention to her eyes."

Healer Thrane groaned softly before moving towards the magical intercom. Shareen rubbed Ariadne's back as the Hunter whined softly, "It hurts."

"I know," Shareen felt a little bit of panic settle over her, "They're doing everything they can to help you. I promise,"

Healer Thrane slammed punched the wall with a low growl, "Damn it, of all the times that bastard has to be away. Are you sure that Lykos is the only vampire that's tasted Ariadne's blood?"

"Yes," Edric ran a hand through his hair, "Where the hell is he?"

"Zane sent him to go speak to Brigid about two Hunter students dying in their Creature magic class," Healer Thrane moved over to Ariadne, "He doesn't know when the bastard will be back. Edric, I'm going to place her into a death-like state that will hopefully keep whatever is doing this to her at bay and give us time for Lykos to return. As one of her closest relatives, I need your permission,"

Edric hesitated for a moment before nodding as he took in how pale Ariadne was, "Do it."

Healer Thrane nodded and started weaving her magic around the suffering Hunter. As soon as it took, Healer Thrane sighed in relief. Shareen looked at the Healer with a frown, "What are we going to do now?"

"We can only wait," Healer Thrane sighed softly, "I need one of you to inform Mr. Silver about his charge's state as well as bring her familiar here,"

"I'll go," Shareen stood up.

Edric nodded to her with thanks in his eyes as he moved over to his cousin's side. The shifter left and Healer Thrane returned to working on figuring out what was wrong with Ariadne. Edric laid his hand on Ariadne's forehead with a grimace. She was burning up even through the death-like state she'd been placed under. He hated how pale and sickly she looked. Even if they'd known each other for almost five months, Edric cared deeply for his cousin even if it hurt that she still didn't trust him enough to tell him about her past. He bowed his head and whispered, "We'll figure this out soon, Ari. I promise."

* * *

Lykos returned to High Arch feeling as if someone was walking on his grave. Brigid had finally taken the news he had given her, but decided not to accompany him back. In her place, she sent Kaze after the woman had finished her duty. Upon seeing Zane, Lykos realized something bad had happened within the day he'd been gone, "Zane? Is som-"

"Ariadne has been poisoned," Zane cut him off with a frown making both Lykos and Kaze freeze in surprise, "Gabriel, go to the infirmary immediately. As the only one to taste Ariadne's blood, you're needed to discover what poison is currently afflicting her. She has been placed within a death-like state to hopefully stall the poisons progress, but we will not be able to keep her under for much longer,"

Lykos nodded quickly, "I'll go immediately."

Zane turned to Kaze, "Please follow me, I will show you to were their bodies have been stored."

Kaze nodded, "Of course, I will also inform Brigid about Ariadne's state. Do you know how it happened?"

"Someone either put it in her food or drink," Zane sighed deeply as Lykos began heading for the infirmary, "We are searching for the responsible parties, but it is difficult as so many students have shown their discontent about having an English student within our halls Hunter or not,"

"This is a fucking mess," Kaze muttered softly.

* * *

Lykos carefully took Ariadne's arm and looked at the faint scar that reminded him of his first time tasting her blood. Closing lowering his head, Lykos took a deep breath before sinking his fangs carefully into her skin. Blood covered his tongue, Lykos mentally frowned as he tasted the differences in her blood. The sweet taste of power was still there, but a bitter tang had settled there. It was something he recalled tasting a few times before and it was never boded well. Licking the wound closed, Lykos opened his eyes and stood up straight. Healer Thrane looked at him with a frown, "Do you know what poison was used?"

"Not a poison," Lykos licked the blood off of his lips, "A potion designed to control the drinker. A potion of fey make,"

Healer Thrane's eyes widened as she whispered, "I thought that they were banned from making that potion."

"It would seem that decided it was worth the risk," Lykos moved towards the door, "I will make the counter. Keep Ariadne under your spell and do not allow anyone in here, I wouldn't put it past the ones doing this to try something,"

"But why did her body react this way?" Edric spoke up with a frown.

Lykos paused and turned to look at Ariadne with a fond smile, "She is very strong willed and will not be controlled. With the power of her will and magic, no one will be able to control her."

Lykos left the infirmary and Edric watched him go as Healer Thrane frowned softly. Edric turned to her, "Healer Thrane why does her being strong willed matter?"

Healer Thrane continued to frown after Lykos, "Magic is controlled by our will, Edric. With how strong her magic is, Ariadne's strong will ensures that it will follow her command. If Ariadne does not want to be controlled, her magic will do everything in it's power to prevent it."

Edric's eyes widened, "Even..."

"Even kill her if it means not being controlled," Healer Thrane sighed softly and moved to pull out potions that would be needed as soon as Ariadne was healed.

Edric looked down at his cousin feeling a mixture of pride and horror. The strength of her will was amazing, but the fact it could cause her death if someone attempted to kill her horrified him.

* * *

Severus Snape looked at the city of the Hunters with more than a little awe mixed with dread. He hoped to hell and back that Albus had managed to send a message to the Lady Artemis. Even if he disliked people, he couldn't condone the slaughter of children. It was one part of being a Death Eater that truly appalled him and made his regret allowing the other members of his house into influencing him to join. The Hunter that was bringing his group to meet the Lady Artemis had a disdainful look on his face and had made it quite clear that he didn't want them there. Severus couldn't blame him or any of the other Hunters that looked at them with wary eyes. Swallowing, Severus turned to Nott Sr. as the man complained, "When will we get there?"

"In time," The Hunter guiding the carriage holding them grunted.

Severus frowned at Nott Sr. as Voldemort had clearly told them to do everything in their power to get the Hunters to like them, "It is not wise to complain, Nott."

Nott Sr. sneered at him, but said nothing in reply. Severus inwardly sighed at the fact that Voldemort had to put him in the group. If there was someone that had a great chance in blowing this for them it was Nott Sr. Severus turned his attention to their Hunter guide, "Could you perhaps tell me where I might meet with the healers and other potions masters? I would like to discuss things with them."

"That will be up to the Lady Artemis," The Hunter grunted before turning all the way forward to ignore them.

The other members of the group muttered at the clear snub while Severus felt hope filling him. Hopefully, the wariness and clear dislike meant that Albus had gotten a letter through.

* * *

Brigid ran an uneasy hand through her hair causing the damp strands to straighten before looping into a set of complex braids. Brigid looked at Kaze as her old friend shifted uneasily and asked, "And Gabriel is working on something to get rid of it?"

"Yes though it will be awhile before the counter is ready as some ingredients are not only hard to find, but expensive," Kaze swallowed softly, "Snowy, the brat looked horrible when I saw her. She looks a hell of a lot worse then when her wings came in or when the soul piece was removed,"

Brigid closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her heart, "Was it too much to ask that my cousin be left alone?"

Kaze set her hand on Brigid's shoulder, "I do not know what to say, Snowy, other than that she'll survive. With Gabe working on the counter and her own magic keep her from being controlled, she'll get through this and become stronger."

Taking the comfort that simple touch gave her, Brigid took a deep breath, "Zane is looking for the culprit?"

"Yes. Thanks to the potion being both of fey origin and only able to work with fey magic, he was able to narrow down who did it," Kaze squeezed her shoulder, "After everything dies down, you should go to the school and check in on her. Lina and I can keep this place running,"

Brigid nodded with a slight smile, "I think I will."

A knock sounded at the door and a muffled voice called through, "My Lady, the Death Eater group has come. We have been able to identify one of them as Severus Snape."

"Please lead them into the red meeting room," Brigid ordered while steeling herself, "Kaze, come. We have Death Eaters to intimidate and remind of their place in this world,"

"What will we do about the greasy bastard son of a bat?" Kaze asked as Brigid place the circlet denoting her place as the Lady Artemis on her head.

Brigid fixed her circlet as Kaze carefully laid her cloak across her shoulders, "We will observe him. If and when things deteriorate, we will place him in a seperate holding cell and interrogate him on everything. I am sure you noticed there were discrepancies in his actions, old friend."

Kaze snorted softly, "Who do you take me for, Snowy? I haven't reached my position just on your good will and being hot."

"Then let's go meet them," Brigid felt her spirit lighten as Shesha settled across her shoulders.

* * *

Zane looked at the various groups of fey students and sighed deeply. While they had managed to narrow it down, the number of fey students was almost as high as the number of vampire and Lycan students. Turning to Calidora and Corrin, Zane said, "Let's to get to work, I want this finished as soon as possible."

The two nodded with Calidora scowling darkly. Much like himself and Lykos, Calidora had grown to greatly enjoy having Ariadne around as the Hunter had quickly shown how ready to adapt she was. Corrin didn't really mind the child too much and had admitted that she wished that the child showed enough aptitude to join in the mind magic classes at some point. Zane hoped that Lykos got the counter done soon as the ancient's abilities would make this go even faster and ensure that none of the students managed to lie. It was thoroughly amusing that Lykos had mastered the art of talking rings around the fey and force them into telling the truth.

* * *

Brigid looked over the wizards that had come to meet them and barely with held a scowl at the sight of the pureblood supremacist of the group. Focusing her attention on the greasy potions master, Brigid spoke, "Potions Master Severus Snape. It is a pleasure to finally meet one of the few British Potions Masters to actually earn their Masteries correctly."

"Lady Artemis, I thank you for allowing myself and my companions into these hallowed halls," Severus Snape bowed slightly and Brigid inclined her head, "I also thank you for allowing us to speak. My Master wishes to gain your favor for the new war going on in Britain,"

"I see," Brigid looked at Severus with a frown, "And why would he ask for my people's assistance? We have no true ties to Britain especially after the Hunter clan that lived there lost their abilities,"

Severus took a deep breath and started speaking though Brigid could tell he really didn't want to say anything, "My Lord has learned of a threat to your people and fears that your people maybe at risk by the other side of our war."

"And how might my people be in danger?" Brigid asked with narrowed eyes, "The only time my people step foot on British soil is to hunt demons and even then, we never linger for longer than a day after we're finished. We are well aware of your own people's view of us as well as those my people are allies with. With our avoidance of your people, why are mine in danger from one side of your war?"

Severus winced and opened his mouth to say something when one of supremacists in the group burst out, "Your children are going to be killed! What other reason could you beasts want to fight for us?"

Low growls sounded from around the room as her guards and attendants focused on the group. Brigid raised a hand to prevent them from moving more than a step forward. She took a deep breath, "I see and you are?"

The man stepped forward with a swagger in his step and a condensing smirk on his face, "I am Lord Thomas Nott of the Noble house of Nott."

Brigid snorted softly, "And may I ask why a member of a noble house would dare call the Hunters beasts not only in our city, but among the leader of the Hunters and many witnesses?"

"Because you wouldn't dare kill us as we are here under diplomatic immunity," The man crossed his arms in front of his chest with a smirk.

Brigid turned to Lina, "My dear, please show Mr. Nott to his rooms and do not be gentle about it."

Lina smirked and barked out an order. Two of the guards appeared on either side of Nott and dragged the now raving man out of the room. Kaze spoke up, "Does anyone else share that opinion?"

"You can't do that!" A woman with a pug-like face shouted, "We have diplomatic immunity!"

Brigid let out a soft laugh, "No, you do not. As you haven't come here with a document from your government boasting that you're here as diplomats, you do not have diplomatic immunity. Alongside that fact, I do not like you people as you're rather closed minded and I have no intention of allying myself with the United Kingdoms until that changes," Brigid's smile became all teeth, "I really don't like your master or liars."

"L-lia-" One of the men stuttered out.

Brigid waved her hand and the group of English magicals were surrounded by guards that had every intention of making them suffer, "I am well aware that it is your side that is gunning for the children of my people. We have not only put measures into place to prevent any harm from coming to our children, but also ensured no English magical can come into our city without anyone knowing."

"H-how?" Another of the pureblood supremacists asked with wide eyes.

Brigid smirked at them, "You have a spy in your midst that ensured the information got to the right ears. No one of you will be leaving the Den until such a time as you either die or your home country decides to retrieve you."

Brigid watched as all, but Severus Snape fought against the guards. She greatly enjoyed watching as bones were broken and the wands belonging to the struggling idiots were snapped. The only wand that would remain unsnapped was that of Severus Snape and only because he had yet to do anything to merit it. Brigid turned to Kaze as the doors closed behind the magicals. The woman smirked at her, "Have I mentioned that I love seeing this side of you, Snowy?"

"Quite a bit," Brigid replied before turning to Lina, "I want all of them questioned using any means necessary. The only one out of them to left in good condition without much pain is Severus Snape. I need to ask him some questions. Have him separated from the rest,"

"Of course," Lina bowed lightly, "Is there anything else you wish for me and mine to do?"

"Enjoy yourselves," Brigid watched as a sadistic gleam entered the hybrid's eyes, "If you kill a few of them, I don't mind, but Severus Snape is to be left alone. Is that understood?"

"Of course, my lady," Lina grinned brightly.

Lina left with a majority of the guards and Kaze turned to Brigid. Kaze commented, "She really is a scary bitch when it gets down to it. I sometimes forget about that sadistic side of her."

Smiling lightly, Brigid said, "Agreed. Now, shall we go visit High Arch and check on my little cousin?"

"Of course," Kaze replied with a grin.

* * *

Lykos sighed in relief as the counter turned the correct color. Keeping his attention on it, he carefully ladled out the potion into vials which were stored in his potions cupboard. He kept one with him and headed back to High Arch after setting one of his house elves to cleaning up the lab. As he entered High Arch wards, Lykos around and smirked upon finding the fey students currently locked in a room with Zane. Zane would likely want his help once he'd ensure Jasmine was recovering. He headed to the infirmary and found Brigid there. Kaze was leaning against the wall and looked up when he entered. Brigid ignored everyone around her as she held Ariadne's limp hand with a frown on her face. Lykos spoke pulling everyone's attention to him, "I have the counter."

* * *

Ariadne felt like someone was stabbing at her mind over and over while something was attempting to chain her down. She struggled furiously as soothing whispers told her that if she obeyed, she wouldn't be hurt. Ariadne snarled at the voices as she would not allow anyone to control her. The thought of being controlled sicked her. She had been controlled by the Dursleys through their abusive words and actions. She had been controlled by Dumbledore through his manipulative actions. She had been controlled for most of her life. She was finally free and something wanted to take that freedom away from her? Ariadne's magic roared through her and lashed out at the attempts to control her. Ariadne would rather die than be subjugated and chained once more. Ariadne was dimly aware of Kiyo's presence and quickly coiled her magic around her familiar before pulling Kiyo into her body. Ariadne wouldn't let whoever was attempting to control her near Kiyo. She refused to allow her summoned familiar to feel the pains of being controlled.

Just as the pain stated getting worse and her magic struggling to keep back the chains, Ariadne felt something cool entering the almost painfully hot place she was trapped in. It coiled around her causing the chains and whatever was stabbing at her mind to break away. Whatever it was soothed the aches and pain that had developed in her body. She started breathing easier as her magic slowly began to relax and Kiyo emerged from her body. Light slowly entered the dark place she was in and Ariadne jolted with a gasp as she sat up. She coughed as she gripped her bone dry throat. Someone swatted her hands away and pressed a glass to her lips. Sniffing carefully, Ariadne took a sip once she realized it was water. Slowly, she opened her eyes once she'd finished off the water and found herself in the infirmary. She looked around to find Brigid, Kaze, Lykos, Edric, and Healer Thrane standing around the bed she was sitting in. Ariadne looked at them in confusion, "W-ha-"

She started coughing as her throat ached fiercely. Healer Thrane pressed the glowing tip of her wand to Ariadne's throat and whispered softly. Ariadne felt the pain in her throat ease as Lykos said, "Someone attempted to control you through a potion."

"W-why?" Ariadne stuttered out.

"We don't know yet, but Zane is working to find the culprits in order to find out," Lykos looked at her with a frown, "Your magic is very strong as is your will. You nearly ended up killing yourself,"

Ariadne grimaced softly, "I know. My magic was struggling against the chains that were attempting to chain me down. I...I can't go back to being controlled again."

"What do you mean?" Edric asked with concern in his eyes.

Ariadne looked at him and grimaced, "I've been controlled almost all my life. My relatives controlled me through abusive words and actions. Someone that I looked up to as a mentor controlled me through his manipulative actions. It wasn't until I got the offer to come here and came to the Den that I managed to break free," Ariadne gripped the blanket settled around her waist, "I can't go back to being controlled again. I've finally gotten to experience freedom and live without something chaining me down save for my own choices," Ariadne closed her eyes, "I won't be controlled."

"Ari," Edric whispered softly as Kiyo nuzzled Ariadne lightly to comfort her.

"Do you know how hard it was back in the beginning?" Ariadne asked as she picked Kiyo up and settled the fox-cat in her lap, "Even with everyone around me attempting to help, I was so lost and confused. I'm still lost, but I'm free. I can't go back to being controlled,"

Edric surprised Ariadne by pulling her into a hug, "None of us will let you be controlled again. We'll work hard together and become strong enough that no one can control us."

"Edric?" Ariadne looked at him in surprise.

Edric smiled warmly at her, "You aren't the only one that's been controlled, Ari. I won't ask for more information until you're ready to share, but I hope you're willing to do the same."

Ariadne nodded and hugged Edric back, "I promise."

Lykos clapped his hands causing Healer Thrane, Brigid, and Kaze to glare at him for breaking up the moment, "I need to go help Zane, but I have a few things to say before I go. Ariadne, I want to teach you about protecting your mind. While there are classes to teach you that later, I would feel a lot better if you would allow me to teach you. There are many beings that will seek to control you through any means necessary, we can at least cut one of them off."

Ariadne thought about it before nodding, "If you're willing, I would love to learn. One of my former teachers was tasked with teaching me Occlumency, but failed horribly."

"I will ensure that I do not fail and make the same mistakes as he did," Lykos promised her before turning to Brigid, "Do you give me your permission?"

"Of course," Brigid inclined her head.

Lykos nodded, "Now, I have an interrogation to get to."

With that Lykos left the room, Ariadne watched him go before turning to Brigid and Kaze with confusion written across her face, "What are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to make sure you were alright," Brigid reached out and pulled Ariadne off of Edric's lap, "I am so sorry I only got here an hour ago. There was a lot of trouble going on back at the city-"

"I understand," Ariadne assured her, "You're a leader and have to make sure all of your people are alright. When a crisis happens, you can't just focus on your family no matter how much you wanted to,"

Brigid hugged her close, "What did I do to deserve you, Cousin? You're far too understanding."

Ariadne leaned into her, "So long as you try your best to see me and make sure I'm alright, it's fine. It's a lot more than I've ever had."

Brigid just hugged her tighter and laid her head on Ariadne's.

 **So a lot happened in this chapter that I didn't plan for. In fact, I was planning on certain events occurring later on. Ariadne getting potioned by the fey was planned for near the end of the year. Ah well, it happened and I don't really want to change that. I hope you guys enjoyed it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Lykos slammed his fist into the bratty Volten fey's stomach making the girl cry out in pain and cough up blood. Lykos slammed her into the wall and held her up by gripping her neck. Baring his fangs at the struggling fey, Lykos snarled, "Why did you potion Ariadne? What could you have possibly gained?"

The fey whimpered and wheezed out, "The king."

Lykos' eyes narrowed and he released his grip on her neck causing the fey to fall to her knees. She struggled to regain her breath while her body attempted to heal the damage he'd done, "King Zar of the Volten fey wanted you to potion Ariadne, why?"

"The wings," She looked up at him with fear in her eyes, "Because of her wings. We weren't told why they mattered just that they did,"

Lykos' frown darkened and his eyes began to bleed silver, "And what ere you getting out of this?"

The girl flinched, "My mother and younger siblings. If I didn't try to potion the Hunter, they would've been killed."

Growling, Lykos knocked the fey out and stalked out of the cell she was in. Slamming the door shut behind him, Lykos shadow-traveled to Zane's office where the headmaster was waiting with Brigid. Kaze had long since returned to the Den in order to keep an eye on things. Zane looked up at him, "Well?"

"The fucking Volten king," Lykos growled darkly, "He wants control of her,"

"The wings?" Zane asked earning a nod, "So we can confirm that Zar is after Ariadne because of her wings, I should have guessed. Zar's family has been after someone like Ariadne for a long time,"

Lykos sneered darkly, but said nothing as Brigid asked, "How many were forced into this?"

"Two of them were forced," Lykos informed her while trying to calm himself down, "The other eleven were swayed by promises of power and treasure,"

Brigid nodded lightly before saying, "Zane," He looked at her, "Get me the names of the two fey that weren't forced and what they were threatened with, I will have my Hunter's fix things for them."

"And the others?" Zane asked her curiously.

"Death," Brigid's expression was frosty, "I will be sending their heads to Zar and informing him that if he does something again, I will not hesitate to wipe him out. My cousin has far too much to deal with. She doesn't need more idiots after her," Brigid closed her eyes, "I want both the two forced into this brought before my cousin and I. We will decide their punishment,"

Zane wrote that down, "I will ensure that it is done soon as I can. As it currently stands, we need to respond to Zar's actions before we do anything else."

Brigid smirked at him making a shiver roll down Zane's spine, "Worry not, Zane. I have something in mind."

* * *

Ariadne rubbed her stomach which was still sore. Shareen looked at her as they walked towards their class, "You going to be okay?"

"Healer Thrane says that the soreness should fade within the next day or so," Ariadne smiled tiredly, "I'll be fine,"

Shareen nodded as they entered the classroom only to pause, "Huh, it looks like we're missing our Volten fey classmates."

Ariadne scanned the class and saw that everyone looked confused at the lack of Volten fey. Inwardly frowning, Ariadne wondered if they were the ones to potion her. She settled down beside Shareen in their usual seat as Calidora entered the room. The Brudrian looked around for a few moments before nodding to herself, "Class, I am sorry to report that our Volten fey classmates have committed a crime against one of our own."

"Oh shit," was muttered by one of the Hayens within the classroom.

Shareen covered her mouth and looked at Ariadne. Ariadne grimaced and nodded causing Shareen to mutter, "They're so dead."

"As you know doubt know, we of High Arch do not tolerate any crimes committed against our students by outside sources," Calidora looked around the room, "They will be dealt with swiftly. Whether we will have any of our former classmates with us, I am uncertain. At the current moment, the ones investigating their crimes have not spoken of any details," Calidora's gaze settled on Ariadne briefly before moving on, "I would advise you to take what happened as a warning. As students of High Arch, you are no longer bound by the laws and jurisdictions of your former countries of origin. Whether fey, lycan, vampire, goblin, shifter, or Hunter, you are not bound to your people's rules. You are bound by the laws of High Arch and the Accords. If you choose to obey the laws of your people or former country of origin, you may so long as it does not go against the laws of High Arch and the Accords," Calidora placed her hands on the desk in front of her, "Now, we all have work to do. If you have a Volten fey as a partner or group member, I want you to come here so that we can make adjustments," Calidora eyed them, "For the rest of you, go about your work as normal. If you must leave for personal reasons, I want you to inform me before you go so that I may give you a work sheet to look over before our next class,"

With that said, Calidora sat down at her desk which was a sign that they were to begin working. Ariadne looked at Shareen for a few moments and the shifter shrugged before taking out her books. Ariadne did the same as their group members came over. As luck would have it, they didn't have any Volten fey in their group, so they could proceed normally.

* * *

Brigid smirked as she tossed a ball of livid lightning towards the trembling Volten fey. The dark skinned fey screamed in fear and ducked as Kaze muttered, "I never thought I'd see this side of you again."

Brigid let out a soft laugh filled with malice, "My family and people are in danger from multiple sides. It's about time I let out my dark side."

Kaze shook her head and looked back at the shivering fey, "So how are we going to do this?"

Brigid tapped her chin as frost started appearing underneath her feet and crawling outward. She looked back towards the shivering fey as her eyes darkened and gained an icy blue glow, "It's been awhile since we let our beasts out, so why not?"

Kaze looked at her before smirking as her eyes gained a crimson colored glow, "Huh, why not? It'll be fun."

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Ariadne calmed her nerves and focused her magic on the ritual knife. The ritual knife pulsed as her magic wove into it and she smiled faintly. After a lot of work, she had crafted this knife and was now going to preform her first ritual with it. Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, Ariadne lit the candles surrounding her with a small amount of her magic. When that was done, Ariadne pictured the runic array she was about to engrave into her skin and began the first cut. It stung badly, but Ariadne didn't let it stop her. She focused passed the pain and made the next cut. She took a few seconds to get used to it before moving onto the next one. She never allowed the knife to leave her skin as she cut carefully and bore the pain. After awhile, she was able to completely ignore the pain as she cut the runic array into her skin.

By the time she was finished, Ariadne felt exhausted and shaky due to the amount of blood she'd lost during the ritual. Due to it being her first blood magic ritual and the fact it had been a medium sized array, Ariadne needed a few moments to regain her strength. Once she was able, she ended the ritual and carefully cleaned up the materials she'd used. After that was done, she pulled on the robe that the school supplies for blood magic rituals and picked up her things before leaving the chamber. Pressing a hand to the crystal settled against the wall, Ariadne pulsed her magic and watched as the ritual room was filled with cleansing water. She turned away and headed towards the locker-room where her things were waiting only to pause as her way was blocked by three vampires. Two of them were female and the last was a male. All three were sanguine vampires which were unable to ingest and process human food. In fact, they got violently ill if they tried to eat human food. They could only survive on blood and couldn't stand sunlight. Of course, they could survive if they were older than a hundred, used a sunlight-blocking charm, or used blood magic to create an array to strengthen their resistance to sunlight. Swallowing as she saw their eyes gain a crimson tint, Ariadne spoke softly, "Hello, what can I do with you three?"

The leader of the trio, a female vampire that looked to be a third year, grinned darkly at her, "We're hungry and you smell divine."

"I apologize, but I have a policy against letting vampires feed on me," Ariadne frowned at them, "I would suggest you go to the meal hall for blood,"

The two female laughed loudly while the male laughed with a nervous look on his face. He kept looking around and gave off the air of a rabbit. Ariadne shifted slightly on the balls of her feet while wondering why the hell she had to get into this situation. The other female vampire, another third year by the look of it, snorted, "You're funny for a Hunter. You actually think you have a right to deny us," She looked towards the leader, "Marcy, I want this one as my pet. Can I?"

"So long as you stop trying to go after my Hunter-drayden, I don't care, Elie," The leader, Marcy prowled forward slowly, "Lucas, why the fuck are you acting like a rabbit?"

"She's Lykos'," The male vampire, Lucas shifted nervously, "Can't you smell it on her? I don't think drinking from her is a good idea,"

"It just means she's his blood bag," Elie snorted loudly as she followed after Marcy, "I don't think he'll mind-"

Ariadne felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her against a well muscled chest. Turning her head, Ariadne found Lykos standing there with a dark smirk on his face and a glare directed towards the three sanguine vampires, "Oh, but I do mind."

"L-lykos!" Lucas actually squeaked and paled.

The two female vampires stiffened and looked at Lykos in shock. Lykos smirked at them, "Miss Dagny is not a 'blood bag' as you so callously put it. She is mine and anyone that tries to bite her without her permission will face punishment."

Marcy's face twisted into an ugly sneer, "Why the hell would you claim a mortal? They're nothing but pests we use for entertainment and food."

"They are far more than that and it would seem your maker forgot to teach you that before sending you here," Lykos looked down at Ariadne, "Go get cleaned up and head back to your dorm room, I will meet you there,"

Ariadne would have argued, but something in his eyes and the feeling of his magic told her that she really didn't want to be there. Nodding, she muttered, "Thank you."

Lykos let her go and Ariadne continued on her path toward the locker-room. She ignored the inhuman snarls and loud bangs that sounded alongside screams of pain. She entered the locker-room and stripped off the robe she was wearing after placing her things down. Moving towards the showers, she rinsed off the lingering blood and took a brief shower before drying off. She got dressed in her normal clothes, locked up her blood magic ritual supplies, and left the locker-room. She headed right to her dorm as asked. Godric looked up as she entered the room and frowned at the expression on her face, "Did something happen?"

"Don't worry about it, Lykos took care of it," Ariadne headed towards her room where Kiyo was waiting, "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when Lykos gets here,"

With that said, she closed the door behind her and walked over to her bed before laying down. Starring up at the ceiling, Ariadne didn't do more than twitch when Kiyo settled on her chest. Kiyo spoke after a few moments, "Are you alright?"

"No," Ariadne shook her head, "I am not,"

Kiyo nodded lightly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not yet," Ariadne closed her eyes, "I just want to sleep,"

Kiyo laid down, "Alright. We'll sleep."

* * *

Godric looked up from his project when Lykos entered the door and asked, "What happened?"

"Three sanguine vampires decided it would be a good idea to fuck with Ariadne," Lykos informed the shifter with a slight growl, "I've taken care of them,"

Godric's eyes narrowed slightly, "Why did they want to both Ari?"

"Her blood smells absolutely divine due to how potent her magic is," Lykos informed him as he walked further into the room after closing the door, "Add onto the fact she is from England and doesn't know much about vampire culture,"

Godric's eyes widen, "They'll trap her and use her for their own gain if given a chance. Hell, they'll humiliate her if only to get back at the bastards back in her original country. The fact she's the Lady Artemis' cousin and clearly dear to her..."

"It's like cat-nip," Lykos finished with a slight sneer, "I figured this would happen,"

"Which is why she has your sent and a bit of your magic," Godric had noticed it almost immediately when he first met Ariadne.

It still puzzled him about why Lykos would be willing to do that seeing as he rarely bothered with mortals. He never bothered with the Hunters unless asked by Lady Brigid. It was just how things were and yet, that slip of a girl had managed to gain enough of Lykos' attention to be bothered with. He still didn't fully understood, but he knew Ariadne was special. Lykos pulled him from his thoughts, "Where is she?"

"She went to her room to get some rest," Godric frowned slightly, "I know that blood magic rituals take a lot out of their users until they reach a certain level, but it seemed a bit worse for Ari,"

Lykos moved towards Ariadne's room, "I used a minor compulsion and the small bond between us to get her out of the way."

Alarm filled Godric at those words, "A bond?"

"A small bond created when I drank her blood for the first time," Lykos explained as he set a hand on Ariadne's door, "It had almost completely faded when I renewed it while attempting to figure out what was wrong with Ariadne,"

"It will fade?" Godric asked feeling worried for Ariadne.

Lykos paused and glanced towards him, "It will fade, Mr. Silver. The only way to make it permanent is if Ariadne becomes my mate or I change her. Since I have no intention of making her my mate and I doubt she wishes to become a vampire, the bond will not become permanent."

Godric nodded feeling slightly relieved as he doubted Ariadne knew the implications of creating such bonds with vampires. He watched Lykos open Ariadne's door and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to ensure her blood magic has settled properly," Lykos slipped into Ariadne's room without another word.

Godric was somewhat tempted to stop the ancient, but held back that urge. Lykos wasn't about to hurt Ariadne or let her get hurt. Besides, Lykos was an expert on bloodmagic and would be able to make sure Ariadne's settled properly. It was a well known fact that too much stress after a blood magic ritual could either damage the runic array or cause it to backfire which would in-turn kill the user. It was one of the reasons any bloodmagic user was encouraged to do their rituals either after classes were done for the day or on the week end so the student in question could allow their new runic arrays to settle. Godric spared Ariadne's door one last glance before turning back to his project.

* * *

When Ariadne woke up, her head ached and she felt like someone had stuffed her mouth full of sand. She grimaced as she sat up and looked around only to realize she was in her room. Struggling to remember what happened, Ariadne caught sight of a vial sitting on her bedside table that hadn't been there this morning. Kiyo yawned and stretched next to her, "I'm fairly sure Lykos was here. I believe he's the one that left that potion."

"When did I get back here?" Ariadne asked Kiyo with a frown as she stumbled to her feet feeling a little sick.

Kiyo radiated surprise, "You got back from your bloodmagic ritual. Something must've happened since you seemed very out of it."

Ariadne pressed a hand to her forehead and struggled to remember what happened only for her head to hurt worse. Grimacing, she reached for the vial and found a note sitting underneath it. Checking the note, Ariadne read, ' _Jasmine, you ended up encountering three sanguine vampires after your ritual this afternoon. Due to what they intended to do, I took the liberty of dealing with them. Take the potion and it will assist with any negative effects that you maybe feeling, I will explain everything once I have a chance.'_

Kiyo eyed the potion, "I wonder what they wanted to do to you."

"More than likely it had something to do with my blood," Ariadne muttered as she uncorked the potion, "Lykos and Cameron have both warned me about my blood being particularly enticing,"

Ariadne downed the potion and struggled to keep it from coming back up. Oh man, it tasted worse than skele-gro or polyjuice which she hadn't thought was possible. Covering her mouth, Ariadne closed her eyes as Kiyo shuddered, "I do not envy you in the least."

Ariadne flipped her off before stumbling towards her bathroom. Opening the door, Ariadne rushed towards the sink and began drinking water from the faucet to get rid of the taste. She sank to her knees as soon as she no longer felt like something had died in her mouth after voiding it's bowls. She took a deep breath as she covered her eyes and leaned against the cupboard under the sink. She heard someone rush into the bathroom and cracked open an eye as Godric's voice echoed in her ears, "Ari? Are you okay?"

"Give me a few seconds," Ariadne told him as she felt a warm hand touch her forehead, "The potion Lykos left me tasted worse than skele-gro or polyjuice,"

"Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you know what either of those two potions taste like," Godric replied in a dry tone as he removed his hand, "How do you feel now?"

"My head doesn't hurt as bad as it did and my mouth doesn't taste like sand anymore," Ariadne felt like a pressure that had been behind her eyes easing, "It doesn't feel like someone was pressing against the back of my eyes any more,"

"Good," Godric carefully pulled her to her feet.

Ariadne swayed a little and Godric helped her back over to her bed, "How did you know I was in my bathroom?"

"Kiyo told me," Godric looked at her in concern, "You didn't puke up any of that potion, did you?"

"Even if I really wanted to, I didn't," Ariadne sank into her soft mattress with a low sigh, "I know what happens if you don't take potions when you're supposed to,"

The few times she'd tried to refuse potions when she was younger and the rather vivid imagery she got in return via magical slide-show had ensure Ariadne took any potions she was told to unless the person giving them to her was untrustworthy. Godric let out a low sigh of relief, "Good. Now, are you hungry?"

Ariadne thought about it for a few moments before shaking her head, "No."

"I'm going to go down to dinner," Godric told her, "If you get hungry and feel up to it, come down and join me. If you get hungry at any point tonight and don't feel like going downstairs, tell me and I'll get you something,"

Ariadne looked at him in confusion, "Shouldn't I go get it myself regardless?"

Godric smiled warmly at her, "You're my charge and aren't feeling well. I'm not so heartless as to force you to do something when you're obviously not well. I'm also protecting you since most of our fellow students would pounce on a chance to hurt the only English student within High Arch."

Ariadne nodded slowly as Godric's smile gained a dark tint and his eyes darkened. Quite clearly, he didn't like the idea of anyone hurting Ariadne when she was weak and not able to really defend herself. Feeling a bit touch and happy, Ariadne told him, "Alright. I'll tell you if I get hungry."

Godric's smile turned warm and bright again, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Ariadne watched him leave.

Kiyo spoke up after the door had closed, "Well that was oddly nice of him."

Ariadne shook her head, "That's just how Godric is."

"So he doesn't have any ulterior motiv-" Kiyo began only for Ariadne to cut her off.

"Kiyo," Ariadne turned to her familiar, "Godric is a nice guy and someone that I've decided to put my trust in. As far as I'm concerned, he is a good friend and someone I can count on. As we are currently in an environment filled with hostiles that don't like me simply because I came from England, I am not about to pass up having people I can count on. We do not have the luxury to be suspicious of those that have done nothing to harm us,"

Kiyo winced at her tone, "Jazz, I only want to make sure you're safe."

"I get that, but Godric isn't about to hurt me," Ariadne reached out and picked up Kiyo, "My instincts tell me that he won't hurt me and since they've never failed me before, I'm not about to start doubting them,"

Kiyo sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, Jazz. I just don't like the idea of anyone else hurting you."

"I know," Ariadne hugged Kiyo lightly before letting go of her, "I'm going to get some more sleep. My ritual really wore me out,"

Kiyo silently nodded and curled up next to her. Ariadne laid down fully and closed her eyes with a soft sigh.

* * *

Due to how hectic it was getting due to fact it was closing in on October, Ariadne didn't get a chance to speak with Lykos until near Samhain. Ariadne was looking at Shareen as the shifter was explaining why everyone was putting up such a fuss, "Samhain is special to all beings not just witches and wizards. It's the one night out of the entire year that veil between this world and the land of the dead is almost completely gone. As a result, we can actually manage to meet our ancestors and the loved ones that have passed if we use the correct ritual."

"Vampires love Samhain," Cameron added cheerfully as he dug a milk white stone out of a box and handed it off to Len, "Depending on the species and clan, you've got a lot of traditions and parties going on. Our family summons our dead relatives and we party as long as the veil is thin enough. It's always a riot,"

Len nodded lightly. Ariadne turned to Kara and Edric, "What do Hunters do on Samhain?"

"We honor our fallen kin," Edric informed her solemnly.

"It really depends on the clan how you do it," Kara tugged off one of her loose feathers and wove it into the chain she was creating, "My clan tends to gather around a huge bonfire and tell stories of our kin,"

"The Evans tend to drink and burn incense along with other things that hold meaning," Edric explained in a soft voice.

"Drayden throw a huge festival and celebrate the lives of our ancestors after praying at one of the temples dedicated to Calos, the Drayden that guides the souls of our fallen to the afterlife," Adrian added as he took a break from burning some crystal.

Ariadne was about to ask for more information when she heard, "Dagny."

Ariadne turned along with everyone else and found a vampire student standing there. Ariadne recognized him as one of the sanguine vampires that had tried to attack her. She frowned slightly, "Aren't you one of the ones that tried to take a bite out of me?"

That immediately got her friends attention, Cameron growled softly, "He's one of them?"

Ariadne nodded without taking her eyes off of him, "Yes."

The vampire, Lucas if she remember correctly, winced at her words, "Master Lykos has ordered me to deliver this to you and inform you that he expects you to come to his rooms in thirty minutes."

Lucas held out a rolled up piece of parchment. Shareen rose to her feet and stalked forward to snatch the parchment out of his hand, "Get the fuck out of my room."

Without another word, Lucas took off and Shareen shut the door before returning to her seat. Cameron took the parchment as he said, "It looks like Lykos made them his slaves."

"He can do that?" Ariadne asked in shock.

Cameron nodded, "It's one of the few laws that all vampires follow. If a vampire tries to bite any under another vampire's protection, the vampire is to be punished if he does not have the approval of the one he's attempting to bite. Since they tried to bite you without your approval or Lykos', they are subjected to whatever punishment he sees fit. Considering they're students, Lykos isn't going to kill them unless they seriously pissed him off," Cameron handed the parchment to her, "Here, it's clean of everything save for Lykos' energy."

Ariadne took it and opened it as Shareen asked, "What does he want?"

Ariadne noticed that everyone was looking at the parchment in interest and decided to read it aloud:

 _Ariadne,_

 _Brigid wishes for you to know that all the Volten fey involved in potioning you for their own gain have been punished. Out of those involved, two have been found to be forced into helping to potion you. As a result, Brigid will be coming to school a day before Samhain to figure out a punishment for them. You were the one to be potioned, so you'll be the one to decide their punishment in the end. I will explain later when you come up to my rooms._

 _Lykos._

Edric frowned slightly, "That is odd."

"Odd?" Ariadne looked at him curiously as she began packing up her things.

"I would've thought those two would've been dealt with by now," Edric said as he peered at the parchment, "Brigid has never allowed such things to go unpunished for longer than a week after the perpetrators are thoroughly questioned,"

"Maybe she's really busy?" Shareen suggested earning a considering look from Edric, "I mean if something big is happening back at Windseeker, she can't really do things like she normally does,"

Kara pipped up, "She's probably busy sending a big message to whoever tried to control you."

"True," Edric shook his head before asking, "Do you know where Lykos' rooms are?"

Ariadne nodded lightly, "I think so."

"I'll take you," Cameron stood up and began putting away his things as well, "Every vampire in school is required to meet him at various points during the school year. It's to ensure that we all understand the rules and know he's the biggest threat here. I actually need to drop off something, so taking you to see him would make sure I got it done,"

"Thanks, Cameron," Ariadne told him earning a grin.

"No problem," Cameron shifted his bag onto his back, "We just have to drop by my room to grab what I need to drop off,"

Ariadne nodded lightly, "Right."

* * *

Cameron was about to knock on the door when it swung open allowing the two inside. Cameron shivered beside Ariadne at the feeling of Lykos' shadowy magic. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that Ariadne didn't seem effected by it. She never seemed to be effect by any of the power the various beings within this school gave off. A lot of being had tried to force Ariadne into submission with their energy, yet she shrugged it off. Though, he glanced towards Kiyo, perhaps it had to do with being a summoner. Whatever the reason, Cameron wasn't going to complain since Ariadne being able to shrug off any energy trying to force her into submission earned her a lot grudging respect. Cameron was jerked from his thoughts by the feeling a warm hand touching his arm and looked at Ariadne as she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just got lost in my thoughts," Cameron grinned at her, "Let's get this done, I really need to get the rest of my homework done,"

Ariadne nodded with a slight smile and they walked into the room. Cameron tried not to stiffen as Lykos came into view. The elder ancient looked genuinely pleased to see Ariadne which only further cemented the fact she was under his protection. Lykos turned towards him and frowned, "Cameron David, this is a surprise."

"Ariadne needed a guide to help her find her way and I needed to drop this off," Cameron held up the wrapped package earning a nod from Lykos, "I apologize that it took so long for me to bring it to you. I didn't get everything for it until this morning,"

Lykos held out a hand and Cameron handed the package over, "Thank you. You may go."

Cameron bowed lightly and turned to Ariadne, "I'll see you later."

"Definitely," Ariadne's warmth caused him to grin brightly.

Cameron took his leave and headed back to his rooms. He wondered what they would be discussing before pushing it out of his mind. Ariadne would tell them what was going on when she was ready.

* * *

Ariadne watched Cameron leave before turning to Lykos as the door closed. Lykos had turned away and was walking deeper into his rooms. Ariadne hesitated before following after him, "So why did you want to see me?"

"Please take a seat," Lykos told her before disappearing.

Ariadne frowned, but sat down as he'd asked. She looked around the room and noticed a shadowy form curled up near the unlit fireplace. She leaned forward to get a better look at it. Before she could really focus, Lykos returned prompting Ariadne to ask, "What is that?"

She pointed towards the shadowy form earning a slight smile from Lykos. He walked over to the fire place and picked up whatever it was earning a low hiss. He turned towards her revealing something that looked like a lemur. Lykos spoke as he held the lemur in his arms, "This is my second familiar, Aron. He's a shadow lemur from Madagascar."

"How many types of lemurs are there?" Ariadne asked as he walked towards the couch facing the one she was sitting on.

"About two to three per mundane variety," Lykos ran his fingers through the almost invisible lemur's fur, "Now, I wanted to talk to you about something,"

Ariadne looked at him curiously as Kiyo shifted on her shoulders, "Okay."

Lykos lifted up a glass filled with blood, "As you no doubt know, I've placed you under my protection."

"Yeah," Ariadne frowned slightly, "Cameron explained a few things like you being allowed to punish the people attempting to bite me without permission,"

Lykos chuckled softly, "That's one way to put it, did he explain anything else?"

"Not really," Ariadne reached up to tug Kiyo off of her shoulders and into her lap.

Lykos nodded before sipping some of his drink, "To be quite honest, I am not surprised that he didn't. He probably thought I would've done it before now."

"So why didn't you?" Ariadne asked feeling confused.

Lykos sighed softly, "With the attempted control potion, your cousin has been working on getting back at the bastard that ordered this. As a result of this focus, I've been assisting her when I haven't been in class or taking control of the vampire students. I apologize for neglecting my duty to you."

Ariadne's frown deepened, "And what duty is that?"

"When I placed you under my protection, I took on the duty of teaching you about the vampire world," Lykos sighed deeply, "I have neglected my duty for far too long,"

"But why did you place me under your protection?" Ariadne asked him.

Lykos was silent for a few moments before saying, "For multiple reasons, I will only explain two of them as the rest are private," Ariadne didn't like it though she doubted that Lykos really cared, "The main reason is that Brigid asked for me to look after you during your time here at High Arch. Normally, I wouldn't put you under my personal protection even if she asked me to. You've become something as a personal interest to me, Jasmine."

"Personal interest?" Ariadne eyebrows scrunched together, "What kind of personal interest?"

Lykos reached up to run his fingers through his hair, "You have quite a bit of potential and I wish to see it unlocked. Depending on how things go, I may take you on as an apprentice once your time here at High Arch is finished."

"An apprenticeship?" Ariadne felt shock course through her as Kiyo jerked to look at Lykos with wide eyes, "Why me? Why not a vampire student?"

"None of the current batch of students nor those in recent years have caught my eye as you have," Lykos explained as he relaxed into his seat, "I have taken around twenty apprentices during my long life. Of those twenty, I have only had five vampires apprentices,"

"But what about the war back in England? I have to go back at som-" Ariadne began only for Lykos to raise his hand prompting her to fall silent.

He set down his glass and looked at her, "I am well aware of what is going on back in your original country as is every teacher and some of the more curious students. As of right now, the great council has deemed the situation in England to be watched, but not interfered with. You are bound to that as much as any of us."

"But-" Ariadne felt a little panicked.

Lykos silenced her again, "I understand your feelings, but do you really think you could make a difference right now?"

Ariadne hated to admit that he was right. Even if she'd been a High Arch student for two almost three months, she wasn't even close to ready to deal with Voldemort. The weaker death-eater's might be something she could deal with, but that wouldn't be enough. Sighing softly, Ariadne looked down at Kiyo, "It doesn't change the fact that my old friends are in danger."

"Focus on getting stronger," Lykos told her, "And hope that they can stay alive long enough for you to see them again,"

Ariadne grimaced softly. Kiyo nuzzled her lightly before asking, "Could we focus on why you called us here?"

Lykos nodded and Ariadne forced her thoughts of England out of her mind, "Of course."

 **Okay so next chapter we see what happened to the two Volten Fey**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Looking towards the two fearful Volten fey, Ariadne felt a bit angry. A small amount of that anger was directed towards the two fey for their part in potioning her. The rest of her anger was directed towards the one that had forced them into it. Knowing that they had only done it to protect their loved ones from the king, Ariadne's anger rose up. Ariadne was torn from her thoughts as Brigid asked, "Cousin, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

The two fey flinched as soon as they noticed that she was looking at them. Keeping her eyes on them, Ariadne told Brigid, "I find it disgusting that someone that's supposed to rule their people would do that to the ones he is honor bound to protect," The two fey jerked and looked at her in surprise, "I am a bit angry with them, but the full brunt of my anger lies towards their king though he is not much of a king, is he?" Ariadne heard a muffled snicker from Kaze, "As it currently stands, I believe they deserve some punishment for their hand in potioning me, but not to the extent their compatriots and king."

Ariadne finally looked towards her cousin and nearly grinned at the sight of pride within those ruby red eyes. She was so glad she'd asked Lykos and her friends for advice on how to act during meetings like this. Brigid's lips twitched slightly and she inclined her head towards Ariadne before turning to the two fey, "Do either of you have any last words you wish to say before we decide your punishment?"

One of them, the male of the two and a ancient rune classmate of hers, spoke up, "I only ask that my punishment does not transfer over to my little brother. He is only a six year old and just starting to get his own understanding of the world."

"We will keep the punishment from affecting your younger brother, but what of the rest of your family?" Brigid asked him curiously as Ariadne looked at her in surprise, "Do you not care for them?"

"My cousins do not care for my brother or I unless it comes to getting them power," The male fey's face twisted into a scowl, "For all I know, they were in on the damn idea and deserve any punishment you give them," He took a deep breath, "As for my parents, my father is dead and my mother was driven to insanity when their bond snapped three years ago. If anything, my mother being killed would be a blessing for her if only to reunite her with my father."

Brigid inclined her head as Ariadne looked at the male fey with consideration. Maybe once this is over, she would get to know him if only to learn more about how similar those that were supposed to take care of them. It might be nice to have someone in a situation similar to her if only to enjoy the fact he understood and wouldn't pity her. Ariadne noticed that the female fey was silent and spoke softly, "And you?" The female fey jumped and looked at her, "What about you?"

The female fey frowned at her, "Why bother? My fate is sealed as is that of my family. Regardless of what happens, they will be killed by the king and I will be left alone. I don't really care about what happens to me anymore."

The dead look in her eyes made Ariadne shiver slightly. Would Ariadne have acted like that if she hadn't focused on getting into High Arch and allowed her grief over Sirius' death to swallow her? Ariadne reached up to run her fingers through Kiyo's fur to provide some comfort. Somehow, Ariadne had a feeling that probably would have happened if she'd been weaker. Kiyo nuzzled into her cheek and Ariadne felt herself settle. She looked at Brigid as her cousin informed the dead eyed fey, "Your family was saved by a group of my Hunters. I have ensured that both your family were safe though I will be looking into them to ensure they knew nothing of the potioning or were in a similar situation to you. If I find they not only agreed with what happened, but helped the plot in anyway, I will kill them as is my right."

"Understood," The two murmured while the dead look in the female fey's eyes faded.

Brigid nodded lightly, "Good. Kaze," The fox-like Hunter looked towards her, "Please lead them to the room Lykos is in, we will call for them when we've come up with a proper punishment for these two."

"Of course, My Lady," Kaze bowed lightly before turning to the two nervous Volten fey, "Come with me and do keep up,"

With that, Kaze turned and began walking out the room leaving the two fey to scramble after her. Ariadne turned to her cousin and asked, "Does she always do that?"

"It's one of the things that make her Kaze," Brigid let out a soft laugh, "She was actually worse when she was younger and a lot more arrogant," The thought of that causing Ariadne to shiver violently and feel glad that she hadn't known Kaze back then, "Jasmine," Ariadne looked at her curiously, "You did very well with how you held yourself and the way you spoke. I was very impressed at how you put those lessons your friends and Gabe gave you to use," Ariadne flushed lightly at the compliment, "You will be a very good leader one day,"

"Leader?" Ariadne murmured softly before shaking her head, "I don't really want to be a leader though. If I have my friends and protect them, I'll be happy," Ariadne looked at her cousin with a frown, "Besides, I don't need that much power over anyone. While I don't really want to follow anyone that I don't respect, I don't want to lead,"

"Which is why if and when you do become a leader, you will be a good one," Brigid reached out and set her hand on Ariadne's head with a warm look in her eyes, "A good leader doesn't want to be a leader, but will be one when if they have to," Brigid sighed softly and removed her hand, "Now, I believe it's time to decide their punishment,"

Ariadne shook her head lightly and reached up to pull Kiyo into her lap. Running her fingers through her familiar's fur, Ariadne asked, "What punishments do they deserve? Lykos and the others didn't say anything about what type of punishments we would give them. I mean Edric and Kara looked like they wanted to say something, but didn't."

Brigid settled back in her chair and picked up the wine glass of amber liquid she'd been given by a house elf. Ariadne grabbed her own glass from the table and sipped lightly. She immediately felt warm and calm as the slightly sweet liquid hit her tongue prompting her to look at Brigid. Brigid smiled lightly, "This is what our people call Hunter Cider, it's made from a mixture of fruits grown within our green houses. We only drink it around Samhain. I take it you like it?"

Ariadne nodded lightly, "It's sweet, but not too sweet. I feel so warm and calm now."

"And that's one of the special aspects of this particular cider," Brigid's smile was a bit smug, "Now, I believe we can talk about the punishments we're going to give them. For their crime, we have three choices. They can either serve you for a year to make up for their actions, they can become your body guards for a year, or they'll be forced to give an oath that will ensure they will never harm you,"

"Cousin, what happens if they violate the oath on accident?" Ariadne asked her with a frown.

Brigid sighed softly, "They would be killed by having their magic tear itself from their beings. Human witches and wizards can survive having their magic taken away, but no one else. Our magic is so ingrained inside of our bodies that it would tear us to shreds."

"So definitely not that," Ariadne wouldn't force anyone into something like that except for Tom Riddle and Bellatrix LeStrange, "And the first two? What do they exactly entail?"

Brigid hummed softly after taking a sip of her drink, "Servitude would make essentially make them like a maid or butler for you. They would basically act like a house elf in the way they couldn't argue with your orders. As a body guard, they would guard you from any harm which means following you around. After the year was up, you would be given the choice of releasing them and they would have a choice of continuing on in your service."

Ariadne didn't exactly like either of those options, but they were better than the oath, "Which one would be kinder?"

"You wish to be kind?" Brigid asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Ariadne looked down at her drink for a few moments before looking up at her cousin, "Even if they were apart of this, they didn't do it by choice, but by the need to protect those dear to their hearts. To punish them for doing that, I cannot in good conscious as I would do the same thing for those I care about," Ariadne gripped her glass tightly, "It goes against my views to punish them for protecting those they care for. I know they must be punished, but some kindness must be given due to the loyalty they hold towards their kin," Ariadne took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Cousin, I...I do not want them to hate me anymore than they probably already do for getting them into this situation."

"A kind heart, Jasmine," Brigid's voice was oddly soft, "In this world, you'll find that it will not serve you well in many situations," Ariadne winced slightly, "But," She opened her eyes and looked at her softly smiling cousin, "I believe your choice to be kind is best. Of the two punishments, Body Guard is better than Servant, but I would suggest if you truly wish to be kind, offer them a choice,"

Ariadne thought about it carefully and nodded, "A choice would be perfect since they did get a choice in the matter when it came to what happened."

"Then let's get them back in here and inform them of our choice," Brigid turned her head and hissed softly at Shesha, _"Please call for Kaze,"_

Shesha rose up and a light shine engulfed his scales. Ariadne watched in awe as he took a deep breath before releasing a song-like roar that sounded more like it came from a phoenix than a dragon. The roar echoed through the air even after Shesha had stopped and only started fading when Kaze had returned with the two Volten fey and Lykos. Zane entered the room alongside two elder students. One was an ancient vampire and the other was a hayen. The two looked at the Volten fey with a mixture of disgust and pity. Zane looked between Ariadne and Brigid, "I take it you two have decided their punishment?"

"Almost," Brigid looked towards Ariadne, "Cousin?"

Ariadne swallowed as everyone focused on her, "Due to the fact neither of you had a choice in this, we have decided to offer you a choice," Both Volten fey looked at Ariadne in surprise and she smiled lightly, "I can understand protecting those dear to your heart which is one of the only reasons I'm giving you a choice," Both nodded looking at her curiously, "You have the choice to either be my body guards or servants for a year. After which, you may leave my service or stay if that is what you wish. Please think wisely on your choice though know that I will do my best to ensure it isn't a horrible job."

Both the Volten fey looked at one another before looking at her, they said nothing for awhile. Ariadne met their gazes without flinching feeling strangely calm despite how nerve wracking the situation was. She couldn't imagine what was going through their heads while they tried to figure out what they would do. Whatever they chose, it would affect all three of them. Kiyo moved to sit on her shoulders and she reached out to run her fingers through Kiyo's fur. The first to speak was the male Volten fey, "My name is Zerkain A Lum and I choose to be a bodyguard."

"I accept your choice, Zerkain A Lum," Ariadne nodded to him with a slight smile, "I hope we can get to know each other better,"

He nodded lightly to her. Ariadne looked towards the female fey. She eyed Ariadne carefully before saying, "My name is Xanya I Dass and I choose to be a body guard."

"I accept your choice, Xanya I Drass," Ariadne smiled lightly at her, "I hope to get to know you as well,"

Zane clapped his hands, "Good, I am glad to see that no more blood has been shed. Now, I think it's time for Mr. A Lum and Ms. I Drass to return to their rooms to gather their things. As you are currently serving as body guards, you will be rooming with Ms. Dagny and her mentor Mr. Silver," Both fey nodded lightly and left the room with the vampire and hayen, "Ariadne, you will not be sharing your bedroom with either of them. We have added two bedrooms for them. I hope you and Mr. Silver can learn to live with two more roommates."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Ariadne felt relieved, "I wasn't really looking forward to sharing my room with anyone other than Kiyo,"

Zane let out a soft laugh, "I thought as much," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, "This is for you, my grandniece wished for me to pass it on. If you have any letters that need to be passed on, I will send them off and she will ensure they get to where they need to be."

Ariadne looked at him in shock, "I thought we weren't supposed to interfere with anything happening in England?"

"Letters are alright so long as you don't reveal where you are, who you're with, or any information about our people," Brigid informed her, "Anyone with family or friends in England are allowed to write letters without revealing any important information,"

Ariadne nodded lightly, "I understand. I guess I have a few letters to write."

Zane grinned, "If you'll excuse me, I should return to my duties. I do have a school to run after all."

With that, Zane left with Lykos following after him. Brigid surprised Ariadne with a hug and a kiss to the cheek causing her to squeak, "Cousin?"

"I'm just so proud of you," Brigid murmured softly.

Ariadne hadn't heard those words come from anyone before and it made her breath hitch as her eyes watered slightly. Swallowing, Ariadne returned the hug and basked in the fact she had actually made someone that cared about her proud enough to say that. Sure, Sirius had given off the feeling of being proud, but it was another thing to hear it from someone. Brigid didn't seem to mind Ariadne hugging her hard or being reluctant to let go of her.

* * *

"So if I add powdered moonstone after two clockwise stirs, the potion will turn dark grey like it should rather than dark green?" Neville asked looking at Hermione with a slight frown and Hermione nodded lightly, "So I just need to remember two clockwise stirs not two counter clockwise stirs,"

"Yes," Hermione smiled lightly and reached out to pat Neville's shoulder, "You're doing a lot better this year, Neville,"

Neville smiled softly and shut his book, "Thank you, Hermione."

"No problem, Neville," Hermione stood up and rolled her shoulders, "If you need anymore help, you just need to ask,"

She left Neville at the table they'd been using in the library after packing up her things and left to get back to the Gryffindor common room. Without Jasmine around to help keep the peace like last year, it had fallen upon Hermione to keep the youngest students under control. At the current moment, she only had five minutes to get to the common room before it was time for the first year study group. She noticed Luna ahead of her as the blonde called out, "Hermione."

"Yes, Luna?" Hermione hoped this wouldn't take long as the first years tended disband within five minutes if no one was there to keep them studying.

"Here," Luna handed her a letter, "I need to go find Ginny,"

Without another word, Luna ran off and Hermione shook her head. Instead of reading the letter right away, Hermione continued heading up to the common room and found the first years waiting for her. She put the letter into the back of her mind after shoving it into her bag.

* * *

Ginny looked at the letter Luna had handed her and felt something in her ease as she read:

 _Dear Ginny,  
_ _I know you're probably pissed at me for not telling you what was going on or where I was going. Hell, everyone is probably angry at me, but I needed to get away for England. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw Sirius die and it was slowly driving me insane. I got an offer to become stronger and took it. I am so happy that I did since it allowed me to meet not only more family that actually cared about, but new friends that have helped me become a better person. I can't wait for everyone to meet them, but it'll be awhile before that happens. I'm learning a lot of things that will help out when I finally come back. I can't say what since the rules keep me from telling anyone not already in the know._

 _Now, I know I should have written before now, but I didn't know if I was allowed to not to mention my life's been so hectic during the last few months. I am so sorry for taking so long and hope you can forgive me. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss my Hogwarts adventures sometimes. But regardless, I want to say thank you for ensuring Hermione and Ron kept their heads. Luna wrote me a letter and told me about what's been going on. You guys are doing well, but you need to do more. I suggest asking Bill or Charlie to get books on magic from the countries they work in. Trust me when I say you'll be glad you did as England is far too limited when it comes to magical knowledge._

 _I need to go as I have another lesson to get to, but please be careful. I do not want to come back to England only to find those I care for dead or tortured to insanity. Stay safe and keep doing what you're doing.  
Jazz._

Ginny shut her eyes for a few moments. It was Jasmine's writing and Luna wouldn't have given it to her if it wasn't. Hell, it was signed just like Jasmine usually signed her letters. Ginny knew it was a letter from Jasmine, but had trouble believing that she had finally written to her. Taking a deep breath, Ginny forced herself to focus on something else. Jasmine was clearly counting on the others and her to keep things here from going to hell. So, Ginny would start off by taking her suggestion to heart and owling her elder brothers. She'd have Hermione owl Krum for books as well and see if anyone else had relatives outside of England to do the same. Clearly by Jasmine's words, they needed to open their horizons and work on becoming stronger.

* * *

Hermione looked at the letter in her hands in shock before looking at Ron and the others. They had each received a letter from Jasmine that had been delivered by Luna. Hermione turned to Luna, "Do you know where she is?"

"Yes," Luna looked at her with a strange amount of calmness that seemed out of character for the dreamy eyed girl, "I will not tell you as it is against the rules,"

"Is she actually alright?" Ron asked earning a serene smile.

"She's better than alright," Luna informed them, "She is right where she's meant to be,"

Ginny spoke up before anyone else could, "Did she really find more family?"

Luna nodded lightly, "On her mother's side, I can't say who they are, but they're definitely better than the Dursleys."

"She's learning a lot of new magic right?" Neville asked earning a light nod, "I wonder if she's learning more about herbology,"

Hermione took a deep breath before asking, "Luna, how are you in contact with her?"

Luna's smile turned soft as her eyes warmed, "My Granduncle is watching over her and I am able to contact her due to this."

"Luna," Ron looked at the blonde girl, "Since Jazz wants us to learn more magic that isn't found in England, could you get us books on that magic?" Everyone looked at him in surprise, "We need to get as much information as possible and it's doubtful a majority of the Death Eaters we're going to be fighting have experience with that sort of magic. By adding it to our repertoire, we would be able to gain an advantage in battle which would ensure we'd survive longer,"

Everyone was rendered silent by the time he had finished and Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Ginny finally shook her head and reached out to pat Ron's shoulder, "Congratulations on growing up, Big brother. It only took you sixteen years."

Ron scowled at her as his ears turned red. Hermione shook her head lightly and looked at Luna, "Can you do that?"

"Sure thing," Luna smiled lightly, "My uncle would be more than happy to help,"

Hermione began mentally writing the letter she'd send Viktor as well as new lesson plans once they got the new books. She also made a mental note to write letter to Jasmine. Ginny broke her train of thought by asking, "What are we going to do about Dumbledore?" Everyone looked at her in confusion, "With his recent attitude, do you really think he'll let Jazz stay where she is once he learns that we're in contact with her? He'll probably try something to track her down-"

"Don't worry about," Luna's serene smile gained an edge and everyone felt a little scared, "Dumbledore will not find Jazz through us. Measures have been put into place,"

"Okay then..." Hermione cleared her throat, "Let's get to writing those letters and talk to everyone else about writing their own contacts,"

Everyone nodded and headed off save for Luna. Hermione looked at her for a few moments before shaking her head lightly.

* * *

Ariadne was carefully write down some runes when she heard the door open. The two Volten fey walked in with their mentors. Godric left his room and paused to look at the two fey and their mentors. He shook his head before smiling at the vampire and hayen, "Cole and Bix, it's a pleasure to see you two."

"You as well, Godric," The vampire inclined his head, "Though I truly wish it was under better circumstances,"

"We apologize for what our charges did to yours," The hayen added before the two turned to Ariadne, "My name is Bix and this is Cole. We hope that what happened can be put behind us. If our charges cause any trouble, you need only to tell us and we'll deal with them,"

Ariadne nodded slowly, "Of course."

"If you'll excuse us, we need to go to our Creature magic class," Cole informed them.

"Go ahead, we'll be just fine," Godric grinned at the two, "We'll get them settled in,"

Cole nodded and turned to give his charge a stern look before leaving. Bix waved lightly before following after Cole, "See ya, Godric."

Godric turned to the two fey, "My name is Godric Silver. You two?"

Zerkain inclined his head, "I am Zerkain A Lum."

" Xanya I Dass," Xanya informed Godric while looking around the room and hugging her things close to her chest.

"Right," Godric turned and pointed to the two new doors, "Zerkain, your room is the one next to mine. Xanya, yours is the one next to Ariadne's,"

"Why don't you two go unpack in your rooms and get comfortable?" Ariadne suggested earning nods from her two new body guards.

They went towards their new rooms leaving Godric and Ariadne alone once more. Godric looked at her, "This is going to be an interesting adjustment."

"Sorry about causing so much trouble, Godric," Ariadne ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.

"It's not your fault," Godric shook his head lightly, "So, have you figured out what you're going to do for Samhain?"

Ariadne shook her head, "Not really, I never actually celebrated any holiday save for Christmas and that was only after I went to Hogwarts."

"I see," Godric frowned slightly, "You never did that thing non-magical children do, 'Trick or treating'?"

Ariadne shook her head again, "No. My relatives never let me do anything like that."

Godric's frown increased before he smiled, "Why don't you join Shareen and I? You can call upon your family's ghosts and finally meet them. I'm sure Lykos has a ritual you could use for it."

Ariadne thought about it before nodding, "I think I will, but I'll do some stuff with Edric too since we both belong to the Evans clan," Ariadne smiled at him, "Thank you, Godric."

"No problem," He grinned brightly at her, "It's my job,"

"Do you mind helping me with this rune translation?" Ariadne asked as she waved a hand towards her homework, "I'm having a bit trouble,"

"That's ancient Sumerian, right?" Godric asked as he moved to sit next to her and get a closer look at the runes.

"Yeah, we're supposed to be using them for a minor ward scheme," Ariadne informed him, "I keep mixing them up,"

"Ancient Sumerian is one of the most confusing and difficult of the bunch, so it's fine," Godric patted her leg, "Now, let's see if I can help you keep them straight."

* * *

"So they're going to be following you around for a year?" Cameron asked as he shot a glance towards the two Volten fey sitting near them.

"Yeah," Ariadne levitated the book she wanted off of a nearby shelf, "It's going to take some getting used to,"

"I'll say," Cameron shook his head before asking, "So what are you doing this Samhain?"

"I'm going to be doing a ritual with Shareen and Godric," She opened the book and began looking for the specific lore for the runic cluster she was using for her homework, "I'm going to need to go see Lykos soon in order to get the ritual I need or at least get some help in finding one," She glanced at Cameron, "Other than that, Edric promised to show me some of the more important Evans clan traditions when it comes to Samhain,"

Cameron chuckled, "Man, you've got a lot of shit to do then. If you need any help, you just need to ask."

Ariadne smiled lightly before looking at Len, "Len, you never mentioned what Lycans do for Samhain."

"There's usually a gathering," Len looked up from his own book, "Lycan transform into their wolven forms for the entire night. We fight, we eat, we drink, and we mate the whole night,"

Ariadne flushed a little at the last one, but she was a bit to interested in what Lycans do, "So you basically give into your base instincts?"

Len nodded lightly, "Yes though the pups don't usually participate. This will be the second year I join in and the first since joining High Arch."

"Is it fun?" Ariadne asked earning another nod, "It seems like everyone enjoys their own Samhain traditions. I wonder if the ones I'll be doing will be fun too,"

"You'll never know until it happens," Cameron grinned brightly, "Man, it's going to be so much fun this year,"

* * *

Lykos handed her a scroll, "This should work, I've seen it used before by Hunters though the clan that did use it is all but gone now."

"Thank you, Lykos," Ariadne told him as she put the scroll in her bag.

"No problem," Lykos turned to go deeper into his rooms, "Word of advice when it comes to the ritual, you need to focus on who you're pulling. If you don't, you'll be overrun with the ghosts of your ancestors,"

"Right," Ariadne made a mental note to keep her parents in her mind.

"You should get going," Lykos suggested, "If you send an owl, you can probably get the ingredients you need for your ritual from Brigid at least a day before the ritual,"

Ariadne nodded and thanked him again before leaving. She wondered what Lykos would be doing for Samhain before shrugging it off. He'd probably be joining the other ancient vampires in their party or something.

* * *

Ariadne carefully tied the herbs and flowers she was for her incense. Edric walked over and looked at it before nodding, "It looks really good. Do you have any pictures of your parents?"

"Yeah," Ariadne reached into her trunk and pulled out her album, "Why?"

"We need to burn the incense in front of them," Edric told her, "Since you don't have clothes or flammable items that were theirs, we can't burn them along with the incense to ensure the smoke reaches the afterlife. Instead, we will burn incense in front of the photo's and you'll pray to them,"

"So the Evans have a traditions that is similar to a viking funeral?" Ariadne asked earning a nod, "I think I might like this tradition,"

"Good," Edric smiled slightly, "Let's get this done, I assume you're still going to do that ritual tonight?"

Ariadne nodded and lit the incense after opening the album to the picture of her parents dancing in the snow. She closed her eyes and prayed that the two would answer her call tonight.

* * *

Godric and Shareen led the way towards the ritual site with Ariadne following carefully behind. The area they were walking in was on the northern side of High Arch and a heavy chill lingered in the air all year round. She almost slipped on some of the loose rocks, but Godric caught her around the waist to stop the fall. Instead of letting go, he kept a hand on her as they continued to walk, "Godric?" He hummed lightly, "How come we aren't flying towards where we're going?"

"It's part of the tradition," He explained as they continued moving towards the the darkened forest above them, "In a way, it's a test of sorts to show just how much you want to do the ritual. Of course, we also can't fly without causing territorial wyverns to attack. They hate it when we fly around here unless we ask for permission. Even then, they only give permission to the people they like and approve of. As it currently stands, the only one they approve of is the Headmaster. Seeing as it is Samhain and they have their own rituals to do, we can't get any approval at the moment," Godric glanced down at her with an apologetic look, "Sorry, Ari,"

"It's fine," Ariadne wondered if she might be able to talk to them, "Do you think I could talk to them?"

Godric thought about it before nodding, "I don't see why not since you're a parseltongue. We should definitely ask the Headmaster to set up a meeting and see if you can."

Ariadne smiled lightly at the thought of learning more about her ability. While she was still leery of it due to what had happened after she found out about it, she was coming to terms with it and loved learning about the various uses it had. Shareen spoke up suddenly from ahead of them, "We're almost to the forest!"

* * *

Ariadne looked over the circle and alter she'd made to ensure it was done correctly. Nodding to herself when everything seemed alright, Ariadne checked the scroll and then the sky. Seeing the moon almost in position, Ariadne gathered what she would need and began to prepare the ritual. The moment the moon was in the correct place, Ariadne began to speak while keeping her parents firmly in her mind, "Spirits of the dead, I call upon you. The hour is upon us and the veil is lifting. Heed my call and appear before me, I wish to converse for as long as the moon lingers in the sky. Please accept my call!"

She fell silent as the candles around her flickered and blew out before reigniting. A fierce wind blew through the clearing she'd chosen before dying down. A chill ran down her spine as the bright light coming from the moon increased to almost unbearable heights. When it began to dim, Ariadne blinked away the spots in her eyes and froze as she heard, "Jazzy?"

Two people that she'd only ever seen in pictures, the mirror from first year, and the vague memories from back when she was a baby. Something tightened in her chest as they drew closer, "Mom, Dad is that really you?"

"In the fle..." James Potter paused before saying, "I guess I can't say in the flesh since we're pretty much-"

"James," Lily Potter rolled her eyes before smiling warmly at Ariadne, "My little Jazzy, you're so big and just as beautiful as I knew you'd be. Of course, my sister and her ilk didn't exactly help in that,"

"You've seen my life?" Ariadne asked earning two nods as they drew closer to the circle, "So you know about..."

"Everything," Lily passed through the circle and walked over to Ariadne before pulling her into a warm hug, "We're proud of you, Jazzy. While we don't exactly agree with somethings, we're proud you of who you've become,"

"Lils is right, we're proud of you, Little Doe," James settled his hand on her head.

Ariadne's eyes burned as tears gathered in them and Lily murmured, "Let it out, we have until dawn to talk."

* * *

Ariadne leaned into Lily as she said, "I still don't know what to do. I really want to help them and I know my advice will, but I can't stop myself from thinking it isn't a enough."

"If your friends are nearly as smart as we've seen, they'll be able to use what you told them," Lily assured her, "You've done your best to help them as much as you could right now, so it's up to them to make the next move,"

"Besides," James grinned brightly as he sat across from them, "Those brilliant twins will make sure they're properly supplied,"

Ariadne smiled softly as she realized they were right, "Yeah, I guess I'm just a worry wort."

"It's something you get from me," Lily admitted as she squeezed Ariadne to her side, "I used to worry about everyone especially when we graduated Hogwarts. I kind of wish Hogwarts was like High Arch if only when it comes to the vast knowledge this school has. We might've found some other way to fight the Death Eaters or maybe some way to survive that night," Lily sighed, "But could haves and maybes are useless now,"

Ariadne hugged her mother right back, "It's the thought that counts. I'm really glad I came to High Arch since it gave me this chance."

James let out a laugh, "Definitely though you should call Sirius next time, He'll be so jealous of me when I get back!"

Lily rolled her eyes while Ariadne laughed since that sounded like Sirius. Ariadne sighed softly, "Thank you both, I feel a lot better now."

"Now," Ariadne turned her head to Lily, "Are there any boys you're interested in?"

"Boys?" Ariadne shook her head, "No. I don't really want to get into a relationship right now not that anyone's interested in me,"

Lily shook her head, "I'm fairly sure a lot of guys are interested in you."

"Even if they were," Ariadne and Lily were studiously ignoring James' shouts of denial, "I can't have a relationship until I've had a chance to tell my friends about who I really am,"

"That's understandable," Lily nodded lightly as James paused.

James sighed deeply and asked, "Why haven't you? You trust them, right?"

"I do, but..." Ariadne closed her eyes.

"But you're scared they'd either look at you like everyone back in England or hate you for lying to them," Lily hugged her lightly, "If they're really your friends, they won't hate you for lying to them,"

"Besides," James grinned lightly, "Is one of the High Arch traditions to use a diffrent name while at school?"

"Y-yeah," Ariadne shifted slightly, "I guess they wouldn't hate me,"

"If you don't want to tell them just yet, you don't have to," Lily murmured softly, "But you do need to tell them. Part of what makes a friendship strong is when you are honest with each other,"

Ariadne nodded slowly and took a deep breath, "I'll think about it."

"Good," Lily then grinned, "Now, which class is your favorite?"

* * *

When dawn came and the ritual ended, Ariadne felt lighter than she had in years and much more content than before. She met up with Godric and Shareen near the edge of the forest. Shareen grinned at her, "Have fun?"

"Yeah," Ariadne smiled warmly, "I feel a lot lighter and happier now,"

"Good!" Shareen hugged her lightly, "Let's get back to school. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted,"

"Mhmm," Ariadne yawned softly and covered her mouth, "Let's get going," They began walking and Ariadne glanced at Godric, "You okay, Godric? You're kind of quiet,"

Godric jolted and looked at her for a few moments before nodding, "I'm fine."

Ariadne looked at him for a few moments before glancing towards Shareen. Shareen snickered softly, "He's just surprised by what he found out. Don't worry about it."

Glancing at Godric, Ariadne nodded deciding that she was too tired to press for information. Besides, Samhain rituals were extremely personal, so she should respect Godric's silence. If he wanted to say something, she would listen. He's been patient with her, so she'd be patient with him.

 **Okay, this is it for the next chapter. How did you guys like it? Next chapter will have a somewhat major time-skip and might include Ariadne telling her new friends about who she really is.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

Ariadne landed on the plateau they'd been flying over and immediately settled down on the edge while taking a deep breath. The air was slightly frigid signaling that winter was drawing closer to them. Shareen joined her moments later while Edric and Adrian continued to fly above them. Kara would have joined them, but she had to work on a project she'd been putting off. Shareen's gryffin form was smaller than Godric's with a thicker coat of feathers and fur. Shareen shifted back into her human form, "This is just what I needed, I really missed flying without a real purpose other than to have fun."

Ariadne hummed in agreement. The fledgling Hunters rarely got to just fly due to their flying lessons taking place every other day. It was one of the rare two day breaks from those classes. Ariadne had seen a few of her fellow fledglings flying around earlier when she was having a fun race with Shareen. Ariadne's mind went back to Samhain and what she'd talked to her parents about. Shifting slightly, Ariadne glanced towards Shareen, "Hey, Shareen. Can I ask a question?"

"What's up?" Shareen looked at her curiously.

"What would you say if I told you that Ariadne Dagny wasn't my real name?" Ariadne fiddled with strap of her bag.

Shareen blinked before shrugging, "I wouldn't really care. I've known you as Ariadne Dagny, so that's who you are. If you want to go back to using your old name, you can, but you'll always be Ariadne to me."

Ariadne felt some of the doubt and nervousness that she'd been feeling fall away, "No matter what?"

Shareen nodded with a light smile, "I don't care about who you were before."

"Thanks, Shareen," Ariadne sighed deeply in relief.

"So are you going to tell me your real name?" Shareen asked while shifting to focus completely on her.

Ariadne hesitated for a few minutes as she agonized over what to do. Finally, Ariadne made a decision, "Promise not to tell anyone without my permission?"

"I promise," Shareen shifted closer.

Erecting a silencing barrier, Ariadne took a deep breath before telling her, "My real name is Jasmine Potter."

"J-Jasmine P-Potter?!" Shareen gaped at her, "Holy mother of Vera and Numire. Are you shitting me?"

"Nope," Ariadne lifted up her bangs and revealed the slowly fading scar that had made her famous.

"Dear Father Stria," Shareen stared at the scar with wide eyes.

"So you see why I'm so scared of telling anyone?" Ariadne let her bangs fall with a grimace.

Shareen shook herself, "Damn, I never would've guessed. I mean you don't act like what people would expect of the 'Girl-Who-Lived'."

"And that's a big part of why I'm not going by that name and why I'm seriously considering dropping it," Ariadne extended her wings as the clouds above them broke up and the sunlight began to warm her feathers, "That name has done nothing, but brought me trouble since I entered the magical world,"

Shareen was quiet for a few minutes and Ariadne looked up when Edric flew over them. She focused on Adrian and found herself admiring the way his scales seemed to absorb the sunlight shining down on them. He was in one of the smaller dragon forms that the Drayden were capable of. It was about the size of a tiger with multiple small scales that covered everything save for it's leathery wings and horns. Adrian's horns were much like a bull's and were a deep grey tinted black that shown in the light. His scales were a deep amethyst color with obsidian lining the edges of his scales. Ariadne smiled lightly and waved as Adrian turned his head towards her. He roared lightly in greeting before rushing off to catch up to Edric. Shareen caught her by surprise by speaking up and reminded Ariadne of what they were talking about, "I think I understand, but could you answer a question for me?"

Ariadne looked at her cautiously, "What do you want to ask?"

"How come you were abused by your relatives?" Shareen asked her with a frown, "If you're as famous as it seems back in England, you should've never been hurt like that,"

Ariadne shook her head lightly, "I don't know. I guess it never really occurred to them that I needed to be checked on."

"But there are laws in pl-" Shareen began only for Ariadne to cut her off.

"Shareen, England is stuck in medieval times for the most part," Ariadne looked at the sky, "Back then, no one really protected orphans. If there are laws like that, I guess it never occurred to them that anyone would dare harm me after what happened. Not to mention, everyone believed that Dumbledore could do nothing wrong. Since he's the one that placed me there..."

"Everyone would think he'd be checking on you," Shareen shook her head, "Honestly, the more I hear about the English Magical community, the more I don't like it," Shareen reached out to place a hand on Ariadne's shoulder, "The best thing I can think about it is that you came from there. You're pretty much the only good thing to come from England,"

Ariadne smiled lightly and dropped the silencing charm, "Thanks. So you'll keep it a secret?"

"Of course," Shareen squeezed her shoulder before dropping her hand, "When will you tell the others?"

"Soon," Ariadne looked up and spotted Edric and Adrian flying around, "Want to continue flying? The boys look like they're having a lot of fun,"

"Yeah," Shareen got up, "Have you told Edric yet?"

"No, but I'll tell him next," Ariadne glanced at Shareen, "I plan on telling you brother at some point, but he seems to be avoiding me,"

Shareen looked at her in surprise before beginning to laugh. Ariadne looked at her in shock as Edric and Adrian landed near them. Adrian shifted back as Edric asked, "What are you two doing down here and why is Shareen laughing like she got hit by an overpowered cheering charm?"

"We wanted to rest a bit," Ariadne told them while eyeing Shareen as the shifter began to gasp lightly, "I have no idea why she's laughing. I just mentioned that Godric seems to be avoiding me and she just started laughing,"

Adrian looked at her in surprise, "Your mentor's avoiding you?"

"It seems like it," Ariadne replied with a sigh, "While he might be busy with a project, I don't understand why he wouldn't want to do morning training with me,"

"You actually like doing morning exercises?" Shareen gasped out while hugging her ribs.

"Once I got used to it, it actually became kind of fun and relaxing," Ariadne explained with a shrug, "It really helps me get ready for the day,"

"My brother and you are insane," Shareen shook her head, "As for Godric avoiding you, he's probably thinking about something our ancestors said. I'll mention it to him when I see him tonight,"

Ariadne gave her a confused looked while Adrian said, "Oh right, it's almost time for the WindStorm festival."

"Windstorm festival?" Ariadne asked curiously.

"It's a Gryffin Shifter festival dedicated to the first Gryffin shifters," Shareen explained as Ariadne got up from her place on the ground, "It's a really big festival. A really big race happens. It's going to be a lot of fun,"

"How long will you two be gone?" Ariadne asked her curiously.

"Two days. It's too bad we can only go for first two days of the festival," Shareen sighed lightly before grinning, "Anyone want to race?"

* * *

Ariadne landed heavily beside Adrian with a laugh as the drayden shifted back into human form, "Man that was fun."

"You're really fast," Adrian commented with a light grin, "We should go flying together another time,"

"Yeah," Ariadne nodded lightly with a grin.

Adrian's grin widened before he asked, "Did you have a chance to finish the assignment Aspen gave you?"

Ariadne nodded lightly as they began walking towards the school, "Yeah. It was a bit difficult to channel the wolf creature magic without having one near me, but I managed to get the claws and increased my sense of smell to that of a wolf," Ariadne grimaced as her nose ached at the reminder, "Enhanced senses really suck sometimes."

"Let me guess, you had some potions supplies open?" Adrian asked her curiously.

"Nope. I had an open ink pot," Ariadne replied while scrunching up her nose, "I never thought plain ink could smell so bad,"

"That's why you use specially made inks," Adrian replied as they reached the school and her body guardian appeared behind them, "If you want, I can give you an order form from the shop I get mine from. They have all kinds of inks available for those with enhanced senses. My favorite ink smells like blueberries,"

"Really?" Ariadne looked at him incredulously, "I thought you'd pick something like the sea shore,"

Adrian snorted softly, "Nah, I don't really like the sea. I prefer forests truthfully. Besides, I like blueberries."

"You really do learn new things every day," Ariadne commented before shaking her head, "Yeah, I think I'd like to get one of those forms,"

"No problem," Adrian replied as they headed towards the stairs, "Do you want to work on your creature magic with me? I can give you some pointers on adjusting to the enhanced senses,"

Ariadne thought about it before nodding, "Sure. I could really use the help."

"Let's head up to my dorm to grab the form and work on your enhanced senses," Adrian suggested earning a nod from Ariadne, "Though I don't think my mentor will like having those two around,"

Ariadne looked back at her body guards, "Right. Zerkain, Xanya you two can go do whatever. I think I should be fine with Adrian looking out for me."

Xanya frowned at her while Zerkain inclined his head while saying, "As you wish, do you know when you'll be done?"

Ariadne glanced at Adrian, "An hour?"

"An hour sounds good," Adrian nodded lightly.

"Alright, I'll see you in an hour then," Ariadne replied earning two nods.

Adrian was quick to add, "My dorm room is in the west wing on the third floor. The door should be the third door on the left side of the hallway with a golden dragon on the door."

"Noted," Zerkain looked towards Ariadne, "We will see you in an hour,"

Zerkain grabbed Xanya's hand and started walking down the stairs. Ariadne and Adrian resumed their walk up the stairs with Adrian commenting, "It looks like the female one didn't seem too happy about this."

"Xanya takes her job really seriously," Ariadne replied with a slight shrug, "I guess it's because Xanya wants to make sure my cousin is never given a reason to rescinded her protection,"

"Doesn't it get bothersome?" Adrian asked her curiously.

"It's only been two weeks since they started, so I'm still getting used to it," Ariadne replied as they reached the top of the stairs and began heading down a hallway, "It's going to be trying until I get used to it,"

"So it does bother you," Adrian snickered softly.

* * *

Ariadne focused on her bond with the wolf and felt the magic respond slowly. It crawled through her body up to her nose and into her olfactory receptors. It was kind of funny just how much research you needed to do not only on the animal you were using for creature magic, but also on the human body so you could properly channel the magic to where you needed it. As a result, she'd learned far more about wolves and the human body than she thought she'd ever learn. Of course, she also had to learn how to balance the creature magic with that of her natural magic. As soon as she felt her nose begin to itch, Ariadne knew the magic was almost ready. It was a strange feeling that your nose was longer and heavier than it was before. She could almost see the muzzle of the wolf forming over her nose. She sneezed as when the transformation was complete and opened her eyes as she heard Adrian snort. She looked at him, "So how are we doing this?"

"Wolves have a very keen sense of smell, so we'll start working on recognizing scents," Adrian said as he moved around his room.

At the current moment, they were in his room since his mentor had the entire living room of the dorm covered in things for her project. The elder Hunter had looked both surprised to see Ariadne and more than a little embarrassed to be caught in such a position. Adrian didn't even look surprised by his mentors antics as he headed straight to his room. Ariadne lingered for a moment by the door before carefully following after him with Kiyo perching on her head. Kiyo spoke up from her place on Adrian's bed, "I did not expect your mentor to be a Hunter."

"I didn't either, but Maria isn't too bad of a mentor," Adrian rummaged through a rather nice looking black trunk, "She just gets really into researching stuff for her projects and any magic that she really likes. She's aiming to become a researcher and creator for the Hunters,"

"Huh, that kind of reminds me of an old friend of mine from back in England," Ariadne commented as she focused on getting used to the glimmering muzzle on her face.

Adrian pulled out a case and walked over. He sat down on his bed and untied the leather holding the case shut. When he opened it, Ariadne could see quite a few vials with various labels written on them. Adrian scanned them for a few moments before picking up a small vial with waxy white petals inside, "These are Orange blossom petals."

He handed her the vial and Ariadne carefully uncorked it before sniffing lightly. Immediately, her nose was flooded with the rather heavenly scent the petals were giving off. She let out a low hum, "This smells really, really, really good."

"It should," Adrian smirked lightly, "Orange blossoms are one of the best smelling flowers around. My mother grows orange trees just for the orange blossoms,"

She breathed in the scent again before corking the vial and handing it back, "Why do you have them?"

"Orange blossoms are used in a few potions that I regularly use," Adrian explained as he went looking through the vials again, "I use them to make an oil I use on my scales to keep them from hardening to the point where I can fly. I also use them to make my special salves smell good," He picked up another vial, "Here, this is Mint," Ariadne took the vial and uncorked it, "I mostly make special muscle relaxers and bruise salve for the most part,"

Ariadne sniffed it lightly and shrugged, "It smells kind of nice."

She corked the vial and handed it back to Adrian.

* * *

Ariadne laid down on her bed with a low sigh and rubbed at her temples. Getting help from Adrian to recognize smells had helped her get used to using that particular enhancing creature magic, it didn't stop her head from hurting from having to memorize so many scents. She would admit that some smell she hadn't thought were strong before actually turned out to be far stronger than one would think. She heard a knock on her door and called out, "Come in."

"You alright?" Godric poked his head in, "You seemed kind of distracted when you came in,"

"Adrian was helping me get used to the enhanced sense of smell that comes with my wolf creature magic," Ariadne informed him, "My heads just hurting from the amount of scents I took in,"

"Ah," Godric was quiet for a moment before saying, "Do you want a potion for your headache? I can grab you one,"

Ariadne nodded slowly, "Yeah, that would be great."

Godric disappeared for a few moments before reappearing and walking in with the potion. He handed it to her, "Here. I just wanted to tell you that I won't be here for two days."

"Because of the Windstorm festival," Ariadne downed the potion and handed him the vial, "Thanks for the potion. Shareen told me about it earlier,"

"Ah that makes sense," Godric headed towards the door, "I'll see you in two days,"

"See you then," Ariadne replied as she closed her eyes and waited for the potion to start working.

She heard the door close after a few minutes and felt Kiyo settled on her stomach. Kiyo spoke softly, "Well that was a little awkward."

"Hopefully whatever's bugging him will go away soon," Ariadne yawned softly, "I'm going to take a nap. Please wake up in an hour,"

"Of course," Kiyo nuzzled her lightly.

* * *

Ariadne carefully inscribed the glowing metal with the runic array she had created. The blueish red beam coming from the stylist-like engraving tool was almost too bright to look at even through the thick goggles she was wearing. With the final rune being placed, Ariadne placed the dagger into the cooling solution. She switched off the engraving tool before putting her goggles around her neck. A low hum left her as she began cleaning up her work station. When that was done, Ariadne wiped away the sweat that had gathered on her face and neck. She heard the lumbering footsteps of the weapon creation teacher and greeted him, "Ford, I've finished the dagger. It just needs to finish cooling."

He held out a hand and Ariadne removed the dagger from the cooling solution. She handed it to him and he turned it over in his bare hands. Over the course of their weapon creation class, Ariadne had learned that dwarrows could withstand heat far better than most species barring goblins. As a result, they could handle metals that had just come out of the forge with a pair of normal gloves. With the use of certain blood magics, they can handle such items with their bare hands. Ford grunted as he put the dagger back into the cooling solution, "It's good, but you still need to work on keeping the edges from being brittle. How is your ritual knife?"

Ariadne winced slightly, "It shattered yesterday."

"I figured," Ford walked towards her assigned forge and looked through the metals she had been given for the assignment, "Which ones have you been using for the mixture?"

Ariadne walked over and picked up three of them, "Steel, copper, silver, and some iron."

"How much silver have you been using?" Ford asked prompting Ariadne to pull out the journal she'd been writing in.

"I've been playing around with the recipe in an attempt to figure out how to keep the edges from being so brittle," Ariadne opened to the page she had created earlier, "I used this one,"

Ford looked over the recipe for a few moments before saying, "Take away half of the silver you used this time and add a bit more alloy steel this time. The copper is perfect for a dagger of this size and shape. The iron needs to be increased. Add in about another half of what you used today. I would also suggest adding a small amount of magnesium. When you're forging the edges, watch them closely. You'll manage to keep the metal from being too brittle soon enough."

Ariadne took the journal back and asked, "So my grade this time...?"

"You have a solid B. If you want to get a higher grade, you need to keep the edges from getting brittle," Ford replied earning a nod, "Also, your third rune in the second balancing circle is crooked. While it will work in a pinch, it'll start cracking and eventually disrupt the magic of the dagger which will cause the collapse of the internal structure,"

"Which will cause the dagger to shatter," Ariadne sighed deeply, "Right, I need to work on engraving runes,"

"At the very least, you managed to correct your previous mistakes," Ford nodded to her, "You should be ready for the exam next month,"

With that said, Ford headed off to the next forge and student. Ariadne looked at her dagger and grimaced. She really needed to get that down especially if she wanted to get onto making the personal weapon that Ford hinted they would be looking into next semester if they passed the exam. Considering the fact she still couldn't find a weapon the really suited her, she really wanted to be able to make her own.

* * *

Running a hand through her hair, Ariadne opened the door to the dorm room and entered with Xanya following after her. Zerkain was currently in the infirmary due to a few broken ribs and a broken arm gained during a rather intense sparring match. Godric looked up from his current project and asked, "Rough day?" He noticed that Zerkain wasn't there, "Where's Zerkain?"

"Yes to the first and in the infirmary for the second," Ariadne dropped her bag on the couch across from him and flopped down with a low sigh, "He's going to be in there for the night due to four broken ribs and an arm that was broken in three places,"

"Ouch," Godric shook his head, "So what happened to you?"

"I still can't keep get the edges of the weapons I create from being too brittle," Ariadne groaned softly, "I also need to practice engraving runes a bit more. I managed to fix everything save for the problem with one of them being crooked,"

"You will figure it out eventually," Godric assured her as Xanya headed to her room.

Ariadne sighed deeply turning her head towards Godric, "You seem to be less distracted."

"Uh, yeah," Godric smiled lightly and offered her an apologetic look, "Sorry if it seemed like I was avoiding you since Samhain. One of my ancestors said something that had me thinking a lot,"

"And you finally figured out what to do?" Ariadne asked him curiously.

"Yeah, but it'll be awhile before I do anything," He replied as he set down his pen, "If I ever do anything about it,"

Ariadne shrugged lightly, "Well, good luck."

"So how have you been doing with your runes?" Godric asked her curiously.

Ariadne pushed herself into a sitting position, "I'm actually doing a lot better. We started on the ancient Egyptian runes and it just clicked."

"Really?" Godric looked excited.

Ariadne nodded as she grabbed her bag and reached inside to find the journal she'd been writing in for her Egyptian runes, "Lorain says that if I work hard enough, I might be able to go to the Greek section before the exam next month."

She handed him the journal and he began looking through it, "Ya know, you might have found the runic language you're meant to use. Of course, you'll probably find a few others. I am best with Ancient Sumerian runes and ancient Norse runes. My favorite has to be Germanic Futhark since it's the ones that tend to be most used in preservation and guarding wards."

"Germanic Futhark?" Ariadne remembered Lorain talking about it on the first day, "Isn't that a fifth year rune language?"

"Mhmm," Godric grinned brightly, "Runes are my favorite subject not to mention I am natural inclined to use it, so I'm nearly finished with the runes classes that the school has to offer. I have no idea what other class I'll take to fill up that place in my schedule, but I won't worry about it right now,"

"That's awesome Godric," Ariadne told him, "I'm eager to figure out which subject I excel at,"

"You'll figure it out within the next year or so," Godric promised before handing back the journal, "I'll be happy to help you out,"

* * *

Edric looked up as Ariadne put her things down on the table, "Hey, where have you been?"

"Godric and I got really engrossed in discussing runes," Ariadne replied as she sat down, "So any idea what we're going to be discussing today?"

"Not a clue," Edric glanced towards the front of the classroom.

"I wonder why we got called in here," Kara added as the other Hunter students entered the room.

It wasn't until everyone had settled down that they were given an answer as to why they were there. Kaze walked into the classroom with a grin, "Hello, you little shit stains."

"Lilith?!" Worried whispers exploded outward.

"Well you guys don't look too happy to see me and here I was hoping you'd love to learn how to transform into your animagus forms," Kaze's grin widened as everyone gasped and stared at her in shock, "Surprised?"

Someone closer to the front of the room called out, "I thought we weren't allowed until next year."

Kaze shook her head as her grin dropped, "While it is true that some of you will not be allowed to learn until next year due to certain antics," A few of the other fledglings winced and looked down at their desks, "The rest of you have proven to be responsible enough to learn the animagus transformation. Of course, you will need to be mature while going through the process as the natural instincts of your animal forms will be brought to the surface at multiple points during the learning process. Even after you finally transform, the instincts of your animal forms will be present in the back of your mind. It is harder on Hunters due to the natural instincts you hold within you. If your animal forms don't have wings, you'll find it harder to work with their instincts."

"Wait, we can have multiple animal forms?" Ariadne asked earning whispered murmurs of surprise.

Kaze grinned once more, "Caught that didn't you, Eos?" Kaze looked over the various students, "The only ones limited to just one form are lower powered witches and wizards. The more power you have, the more forms you can attain. Hunters typically have two animal forms. They will balance one another though your first form will be the one you're most in tune with. My form is a kitsune though what breed is staying secret."

"Is it true that the Lady Artemis has a phoenix as her primary form?" Another Hunter asked excitedly.

"Yes though like myself she keeps her breed secret," Kaze glanced at Ariadne, "Of course, one among you probably already knows,"

Confused glances were passed around for a few moments before Ariadne asked, "So how do we start this? I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a lot of work to do in order to prepare for the exams. While we may have a month before then, I really don't want to waste any time I could be using to prepare."

Everyone fell silent and looked towards Kaze. Kaze clapped her hands, "With that said, we're going to start working on meditating. Meditation is a big part of learning how to transform into your animagus form regardless of what style you learn. Before we begin, I want..."

* * *

Edric walked with Ariadne and Kara towards the meal hall, "I never expected Kaze to be so good at teaching meditation."

"Just think," Kara grinned brightly, "We'll be able to transform into our animagus form before the school year is over if what Kaze said was true,"

"Be that as it may, we can't rush this," Ariadne warned her earning a sigh and a nod.

"I know, but it's just so exciting to know we're going to be able to transform into our perfect animal forms is amazing," Kara looked at Ariadne curiously, "Aren't you eager?"

"Yes, but I'm thinking more about what us practicing meditation means," Ariadne didn't believe it was simply to learn to be animagus', "If you think about it, everything we learn can always be used for more than one thing. I think we're supposed to learn how to protect our minds or set up some basics,"

Kara paused as Edric nodded slowly, "That makes sense," Edric looked at her curiously, "How did you come up with this idea?"

Ariadne shrugged lightly, "Every lesson we've been given since receiving our wings has never been simply for one thing. It always has multiple other reasons and uses."

"So you just put it together?" Kara asked earning a nod, "it's kind of cool how your mind works,"

Ariadne shrugged lightly before pausing as she heard, "KARA!"

Kara's eyes widened before she grinned and shouted, "Donny!"

She raced off without another word and Ariadne commented, "Well that happened."

Edric shook his head and they resumed walking, "Are you alright, Ari?"

Ariadne was a little startled by the question, but realized she could use this to her advantage, "I was hoping we could talk about something."

"What's up?" Edric paused and looked at her curiously.

"I've been keeping a secret from you since we met and I think it's time I tell you about who I really am," Ariadne shifted slightly, "Not right now, but after we eat?"

Edric was silent for a few moments before he said, "Alright. Let's get something to eat and then go somewhere private once we finish eating."

* * *

Ariadne settled down with her legs hanging over the side of the roof. They were currently settled on the roof of the third spire. Edric settled down near her and Ariadne created a privacy barrier. When she finished, Kiyo hopped down from her place on Ariadne's head as Ariadne said, "Edric, you need to promise me that you won't tell anyone about what I'm about to tell you."

"I promise," Edric told her seriously, "I won't tell anyone without your permission,"

Ariadne took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "As you've probably figured out due to your innate lie detector senses, my name isn't really Ariadne Dagny."

Edric snorted softly, "You'd be correct if we had just been starting school. Even if you weren't born Ariadne Dagny, it's the name you chose and you've taken it for your own. While your original name is still yours, you're well and truly Ariadne Dagny,"

Ariadne's eyes widened before she smiled lightly, "That is a relief."

"I'll keep calling you Ariadne unless you ask me to call you by whatever name was your original one," Edric smiled warmly at her.

Ariadne shook her head, "Call me Ariadne, I prefer it compared to Jasmine Potter."

Edric laughed for a second before freezing with wide eyes as he registered what she'd said. He shook himself and muttered, "That actually makes a bizarre amount of sense."

Ariadne winced, "Will this be a problem?"

Edric shook his head with a low sigh, "No, it just makes me want to ask a whole lot of questions, but that can wait."

"Is something wrong?" Ariadne asked him curiously.

Edric sighed softly as he ran a hand through his hair, "Now that you told me the truth, it's time I let you in on a secret of my own. Specifically, it involves my family and just why I almost immediately attached myself to you along with a few other things."

"Edric?" Ariadne looked at him in concern, "You don't have to tell me anything unless you want to,"

"I know which is why I need to do it now before I lose my nerve," Edric took a deep breath and Ariadne reached out to place her hand on his shoulder earning a thankful look as he placed his hand on hers, "You know how I avoid talking about my family as much as possible?" Ariadne nodded lightly, "And how I said that the Evans clan doesn't exactly like me?"

"Yeah," Ariadne began to frown.

Edric took another deep breath and looked at the skyline, "The reason being is that I'm a forbidden child," Ariadne looked at him in confusion as she hadn't heard that term before, "Hunters and drayden matings are looked down on by both sides despite the children being stronger than the regular drayden. Neither my father's clan nor the Evans clan approved of the mating despite how much my parents loved one another. My father's clan is well known for it's war magics while the Evans clan are experts in creation magic."

"So how exactly does that equate to you being a forbidden child?" Ariadne felt even more confused, "That kind of paring sounds like a dream come true since it would give the Hunters an advantage against the demons,"

"That would be the main thought until you consider my father's clan's mostly unknown ability," Edric shifted uneasily, "My father's clan has the ability to grant wishes,"

"Grant wishes?" Ariadne's eyes widened, "Like a genie?"

"Yes and no," Edric sighed deeply running a hand through his hair, "The process of granting wishes is difficult to explain to someone that isn't a member of my father's clan. It deals heavily with instincts and stuff,"

"Okay, so you're a wish granting drayden," Ariadne was still having trouble understanding the problem.

"The reason I'm a forbidden child is due to the fact I'm not as limited as my father's clan is," Edric seemed to be struggling with his explanation.

Ariadne squeezed his shoulder, "Take your time if you're having trouble explaining it."

Edric nodded while closing his eyes. When he finally spoke, Edric's voice was stronger, "Without the limits that my father's clan is under, the wishes I grant can have even worse consequences than my father's clan not to mention the effects tend to be very uncontrolled and odd. None of the results of my wishes are ever the same and it scares those that know of my abilities because they can't control it."

Ariadne frowned softly, "So what if your wishing ability is random? It doesn't change the fact you're an amazing guy or that you're a really good healer. You don't need to be able to grant wishes. If anything, you can use that ability to make anyone forcing you into granting their wishes regret it."

Edric looked at her in surprise before letting out a surprised laugh. Ariadne looked at him in confusion as he continued to laugh. When he finally stopped, Ariadne asked, "What's so funny?"

"Brigid told me the same thing when I came into her care after my mom died," Edric smiled lightly.

"Your mom died?" Ariadne asked earning a nod.

Edric's smile turned sad, "Yeah. I was nine years old at the time. My mom and I were going on a little trip to gather ingredients that we were out of. It was just after my father left to join his clan for their migration. A demon attacked us and we managed to get away. It tracked us down to near the gates. Before we could call for help or anyone could reach us, it found us. Only, it had a friend this time..."

"Your mom died protecting you?" Ariadne asked as her heart went out to Edric.

He sighed softly, "No. She died two weeks after the attack due to a horrible infection caused by the demon poison. They had managed to remove it, but the poison left an infection that they didn't manage to catch until it was too late."

"Edric," Ariadne hugged him making Edric stiffen for a few moments before hugging her back, "I can't say I know how you feel. I only got to really meet my parents this Samhain,"

"It's fine," Edric pulled away from her and Ariadne moved back to her original seat.

"Why did you end up with Brigid rather than your father?" Ariadne asked him curiously.

Edric sighed deeply, "My father went missing at some point while on migration. No one knows what happened to him. More than likely, he felt my mother's death and went insane since the bond between mates is so deep. Last time I went to Gringotts, he was still alive, but that's all I could find out."

Ariadne didn't know what to say. She finally settled on, "I'm here for you if you need me."

Edric smiled lightly, "That's good to here."

"So what now?" Ariadne asked him curiously.

"Unless you have anymore secrets to give, I guess we should go down and meditate some more," Edric looked at her curiously, "You don't have anymore secrets, do you?"

Ariadne shook her head, "Not that I know of."

Edric got up and held out a hand to her, "So when are you going to tell the others?"

"Soon," Ariadne let him pull her up, "I've told both Shareen and you, so I'm going to tell Godric next since he's my mentor. After that, I don't know,"

"You'll figure it out," Edric told her.

Ariadne nodded and they left without another word after she dismissed the privacy barrier.

 **Well this is the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer** **: I do not own Harry Potter!**

 **This is inspired by Miranda Flairgold and her incomplete (though I wish it wasn't) trilogy. I dearly hope you'll like this story!**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

Ariadne laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling feeling extremely tired. She had just finished telling Kara, Cameron, Len, and Adrian about who she was. Each of them had taken the news well, Ariadne only needed to tell Godric and that would be all her friends. She wouldn't share that information with her guards for a while longer, but she would eventually. Kiyo settled down on the bed beside her with a yawn, "I'm going to take a nap, Jazz. Wake me up if something interesting happens."

Ariadne nodded and watched Kiyo fall asleep. She heard the door to her room open and raised her head to find Godric walking inside, "Hey, Godric."

"So you wanted to tell me something?" Godric said as he took a seat in the chair by her desk.

"Yeah," Ariadne sat up, "You know that tradition where some students use a diffrent name while at High Arch?"

"Yeah," Godric looked at her curiously, "I assume by the question that you're one of them," Ariadne nodded lightly, "So you decided to finally tell me?"

"I did," Ariadne smiled weakly, "I've wanted to since a bit after the whole potioning incident, but didn't have the courage to,"

Godric returned that smile with one of his own, "Whoever you called during Samhain helped you out."

Ariadne took a deep breath before saying, "Yes and it's because of them that I've decided to tell my friends. The only ones who won't learn about this are my guards, but that's because I can't trust them just yet and the school as a whole since it would be suicide if they knew. What would stop them from sharing that information after they leave my service?" Godric gave her a look of understanding, "Ariadne Dagny is a name I chose before I got my wings. I chose it because my life up until then had been a prison for me. By agreeing to come to High Arch, I was able to escape the shackles that held me back."

"It fits," Godric commented with a slight frown, "So who are you, really?"

Taking another deep breath, Ariadne told him, "I was born Jasmine Potter."

Godric's eyes widened as the breath left him and he stared at her in shock. After a few moments, Godric threw back his head and laughed. Ariadne stared at her mentor as he laughed his ass off. She scowled at him as Kiyo growled, "What the hell is so funny?"

Taking a deep breath, Godric spoke, "I'm not laughing about you being Potter. It makes a shit ton of sense."

Ariadne felt slightly relieved, "Edric said something along those lines as well."

"He isn't wrong," Godric grinned at her, "You're definitely not a big headed brat like most would assume, but given what I've come to realize about your background, I doubt you would ever be one,"

Ariadne let out a low sigh of relief at the fact Godric was okay with it. Laying back on her bed, Ariadne murmured, "I am so glad you guys have taken this so well."

"Of course, we are your friends after all," Godric replied earning a soft smile from Ariadne, "So, do you think you'll pass your exams?"

"I should so long as it doesn't include my animagus form," Ariadne informed him earning a curious look.

"Oh? Is something wrong?" Godric asked her curiously.

Inwardly groaning, Ariadne informed him, "My first animagus form is hiding somewhere in my mind. No matter how hard I meditate or how patient I am, I can't find my animal form. It's like it doesn't want to be found."

Godric hummed softly, "Maybe you should ask the one teaching you about transforming into your animagus forms?"

"I did," Ariadne sat up to run a hand through her hair, "She advised me meditate more, gave me some tea that was supposed to help me go deeper in my mind, wait a few days to try again, but it hasn't helped me in the least. Somehow, I don't think I'll ever be able to do it,"

Godric frowned slightly, "That sounds kind of familiar, but I can't say how. Have you tried asking Lykos?"

"I haven't seen him lately, so I can't really ask him," Ariadne reached out to pick Kiyo up, "Lilith mentioned speaking to Master Boris, but hasn't said anything about that since she brought it up,"

Godric stood up, "How about I take you to where I usually meditate and see if it helps you out?"

Ariadne nodded as she stood up as well, "I'm willing to try anything to figure this out."

* * *

Godric took her outside and led the way towards the northern mountainous area near the wyvern's homes were. He walked close to the rock face and ran his hands along it for a few moments before his fingers seemed to catch on something. He tugged it lightly and the rock's began to shift around to reveal a dark tunnel. Godric waved at her and Ariadne followed him into it. The rocks closed behind her and light bloomed from Godric's finger tips as he started to walk. Godric spoke after a few moments as Ariadne tried to avoid thinking about how much this place reminded her about the tunnel to the chamber of secrets, "I found this place during my first year here at High Arch on some notes my great grandfather left behind though I hadn't intended to go looking for it at the time. My mentor had gotten on my nerves and I decided to cool off by exploring the area. To be quite honest, I came across it by complete accident."

"Some of the best things come from accidents," Ariadne commented as she created a lumos orb above her head, "So what's so special about this place?"

"Something about it just makes you feel at peace," Godric explained as the path started to incline, "The view is amazing which makes it even better. I usually come around here when I need a quiet place to study or just relax without anyone interrupting,"

Ariadne realized just how much trust he was giving her by not only letting her know about this place, but taking her there. Warmth filled her heart and she murmured, "Even if it doesn't help me find my first animagus form, I want to thank you for showing me this place and trusting me with it."

Godric offered her a warm smile, "No problem, I am your mentor and friend after all."

Ariadne smiled at him in return and a companionable silence fell over them. Soon enough, the area around them began to lighten and the two cancelled their spells. It only took a few more steps before they reached the exit to the tunnel. Walking out of the tunnel, Ariadne's breath hitched as she took in the large meadow that spread out before her. Even with the coming winter, the meadow was still full of life and warmth. Flowers with bright blue, creamy white, gentle purple, vibrant orange, pale pink, and deep crimson red dotted the meadow. Around the outside, rows of lavender grew giving off a wonderful scent. A trio of small waterfalls emptied into a pool not far from the entrance and a river led from that to drop off a sheer cliff. The best part of it all was the view of the ocean in the distance. Ariadne felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head towards Godric. He was smiling gently at her and Ariadne murmured, "It's beautiful."

"Mhmm," Godric held out a hand and Ariadne took it allowing him to lead her over to a set of smooth boulders, "It's even better during the spring when the vines and bushes bloom. Last year a week before school let out, they actually bore some of the most delicious fruits I've ever had,"

"I can't wait to see if it happens this year," Ariadne paused slightly before looking at Godric with a sheepish smile, "If you'll let me, of course,"

"Of course you can," Godric shook his head as he let go of Ariadne's hand and settled down on one of the boulders with Ariadne settling on the one across from him, "I didn't bring you here just to help you. All I ask is that you don't show anyone else this place,"

"No problem," Ariadne sighed softly enjoying the warmth leaking off of the boulder and settled her wings against it, "These are so warm,"

"Mhmm," Godric chuckled softly, "Now, how about we start meditating and see if coming here helps,"

Ariadne nodded and closed her eyes while relaxing her body. She took a deep breath and immediately felt her body relax further. The sound of the waterfalls and the river eased her mind as a surprisingly warm breeze brushed against her skin. The sun was shining over head and warming her from above while the stone below her did the same. Surprisingly enough, it didn't take long for her to fall into the meditative state that was required to delve into one's mind. When she opened her mental eyes, she found herself surrounded by the jungle within her mind. The jungle was warm and filled with the scents of exotic plants that she'd never been able to smell in real life. Ariadne heard a rustling sound coming from behind her, but forced herself not to turn around as she started walking towards where she knew a river existed in her mind. Every time she came into this part of her mind, the sound of something rustling around in the bushes came from behind her. The first few times she'd spun around only to find herself coming out of her meditation with an intense headache. As a result, Ariadne avoided trying to find out what that rustling sound was.

Ariadne found herself by the river and settled down by the bank underneath one of the large strangler fig trees. She heard the rustling sound, but didn't look away from the water. Rather than get excited or impatient waiting for whatever animal was lurking inside her mindscape to approach her, Ariadne relaxed her body and stared down at the water with a content smile. By the time she got to this place, Ariadne was usually eager to just meet her inner animal and get her animagus form training really started. Ariadne took in a deep breath and enjoyed the scents of the dense jungle that surrounded her. From what Kaze had been able to tell her, the jungle inside her mind was a lot like the amazon jungle with a few other things mixed in that the elder Hunter hadn't recognized. Ariadne felt a small amount of excitement fill her at the sight of the creature that walked out of the jungle near her.

It looked a lot like a jaguar only black with a few white markings around it's eyes, neck, legs, and tail. It's ears were drawn back slightly as it approached the water. A deep rumbling sound left it as the jaguar walked closer to her. It settled down beside her, but Ariadne didn't make a move. She had a feeling it was testing her and wasn't about to fail said test after coming so far. Who knows what would happen if she failed it? She would probably never get another chance or have to spend months looking for it again. So, she stayed calm and began to hum softly as she leaned forward to dip her fingers into the cool water. A small smile appeared on her lips as the jaguar mimicked the movement. She could see it's grayish green and black eyes glance at her. Ariadne spoke after a few moments, "I've been looking for you, but I suppose you already know that," The jaguar flicked it's tail with a grunt, "I suppose you've been testing me and finally decided to get closer to me to see what happened," It grunted again as Ariadne removed her hand from the water and set it against the bank, "I won't force you to do anything since I hate being forced into things too," It set it's paw by her hand and she smiled softly, "Thank you for showing yourself to me."

The jaguar eyed her before picking up it's paw and setting it onto her hand. Ariadne felt a burst of warmth flow through her and shuddered softly as she reached out with her other hand while turning towards the jaguar. She held her hand out to it and it made a purring sound before pressing it's head into her hand. Smiling, Ariadne rubbed between it's ears before pressing their foreheads together. Immediatly, the warmth flowing through her increased and she felt something click into place. Ariadne was so surprised that she ended up thrown from her mind. She let out a groan and pressed her hands to her temples. Godric opened his eyes and asked, "What happened?"

"Found my first animal form, we touched, and I pressed our foreheads together," Ariadne explained closed her eyes in order to hopefully prevent the building headache she could feel from growing, "I felt something click into place that I didn't notice out of place,"

Godric looked surprised, "Huh, that didn't happen when I met mine. What's your animal form?"

"A black jaguar with white markings around it's eyes, neck, legs, and tail," Ariadne said earning a soft hum from Godric.

"I was kind of expecting something that could fly," Godric shook his head, "But it looks like you can finally start the next step of the animagus process,"

Ariadne hummed lightly and stood up to stretch feeling her muscles ache slightly from sitting in one place for a while. She cast a quick tempest charm and said, "We have an hour before the usual time we eat dinner."

"It should only take thirty minutes to get back," Godric said as he moved to the edge of the boulders, "Anything else you need help on?"

"How good are you at ice spells?" Ariadne asked earning a slight smile, "I'm somewhat good at controlling them, but I could do better,"

"I'm not as good as my sister, but I do know a thing or two," Godric replied as he got off the boulders, "Show me what you can do,"

* * *

Ariadne dipped to avoid the punch heading towards her before grabbing her opponents arm. With a grunt, she managed to use her opponents weight against him and slammed him into the ground before pinning him. She struggled to keep the struggling were pinned down for the required ten seconds. She barely managed to keep him pinned down before she was tossed off of him with a harsh blow to her ribs. She grimaced as she got to her feet and pressed a hand to her left side where the were had hit her. She sent her magic through her skin in a small pulse like she'd been taught by Sunny along with everyone else in her flight. She let out a thankful sigh upon finding that the were hadn't broken or cracked anything. More than likely, she was going to be really sore tomorrow even if she used bruise balm. The were-lion let out a low growl as he glared at her. Ariadne rubbed her side lightly and held a hand out to him, "Thank you for the spar, it was kind of nice to see how I compared to a beta like you."

The were's eyes widened slightly before he grunted, "Thanks."

He walked off towards the other werewolves and Ariadne headed over to where Edric was sitting. Edric looked at her in concern, "You okay? I saw that last hit."

"I'm fine," Ariadne waved off his concern as she sat down, "My side isn't broke or cracked. I'm going to have a really nice bruise tomorrow not to mention the fact I'll be really sore even with bruise balm,"

Edric shook his head, "One would think they'd pair you with someone that doesn't have a grudge against you just because of which country you came from or at least pick one that's willing to look past that."

Ariadne snorted softly, "The only ones able to look past it will either be too soft or aren't in the same class block as us."

"True," Edric held out a hand, "Mind letting me see if I can help you a bit?"

Ariadne nodded and lifted up her shirt as his fingers gained a soft whitish yellow glow. He carefully pressed them to her heavily bruised side and Ariadne let out a soft sigh as soothing warmth began to ease the pain. Soon enough, he removed his hand and said, "You shouldn't be too bothered by that tomorrow so long as you use bruise balm tonight."

"Thanks, Edric," Ariadne told him earning a slight grin, "So, how do you think you'll do in our exams? We only have two more days to prepare before they start,"

Ariadne was reminded of Hermione as those words left her mouth and she felt a bit sad as she wondered how everyone was doing back in England. So far, the only one to send her any letters was Luna and even then, the letters were rare. Ariadne knew from Luna's letters that they were busy ensuring that the Hogwarts students would be ready to pick up the slack should the adults continue acting like scared sheep. Ariadne felt a little bit of pride at the fact her old friends and her former schoolmates were finally being serious. She kind of wished she could see it now, but knew this was the better option. After all, they might have looked at her to lead them rather than do it themselves and that would probably lead to history repeating itself at some point. Ariadne mentally shook herself as Edric replied, "Fairly good. At the very least, I'll pass all of my classes for the semester. What about you?"

"Now that I've managed to find my first animagus form, I should at least pass everything," Ariadne replied with a slight smile, "I really think I'll do best with my elemental magics, rune work, and blood magic. I'm still having a few problems with getting the edges of my weapons are still brittle. I finally managed to get the rune part of things down pact. As for creature magic, I'm having a small amount of trouble keeping the magic stable past ten minutes, but that's apparently a usual thing for beginners,"

"That's good," Edric chuckled softly before gaining a curious look, "So what about your extra-curricular studies?"

"Well, I've been talking to the flying clubs and they said that you need to be at least a second year to be able to join them if you're a hunter," Ariadne informed him earning a nod, "Apparently, delving into things with my familiar won't really start until the summer. From what Lilith told me, Boris is busy along with the others, so Kiyo and I are just meditating together in an attempt to create a better bond in preparation for whatever Boris has in store for us,"

Edric hummed lightly, "I wish you two luck."

Edric was pulled for another sparing match and Ariadne took the time to relax a bit. Compared to when she had first left England, Ariadne was not only healthier, but also happier and stronger than she had been for a long time. If it she had just left England, Ariadne had no doubt she'd be dead or crippled by now. More than likely, she would be dead. Even with Zerkain and Xanya guarding her, many students outside of her friend group and Godric's friends tended to target her. Some of them ignored her, some of them merely observed her, some of them attempted to provoke her, some of them outright attacked her, and some of them attacked her via other methods. She had gotten even better at sensing curses, hexes, and other spells heading towards her. She had gotten a lot better at casting protective charms over herself and keeping up invisible shields around her without anyone noticing them.

Regardless, Ariadne was better off though she wished that Sirius' death hadn't been vital in pushing her to leave England. Mentally sighing, Ariadne laid back on the grass and stared up at the cloudy sky while making note that it was going to rain soon. She still missed Sirius so much, but it didn't feel like someone decided to stab her in the heart over and over anymore. She sighed deeply before turning her head when she heard footsteps heading towards her. Adrian plopped down beside her, "You okay, Ari?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired," Ariadne raised herself up a bit, "I'll be glad when we can relax for the next two days,"

"Agreed," Adrian nodded with a slight smirk, "Though that's nothing compared to next week, I can't wait to head home for two weeks,"

"I'm both eager and dreading our two weeks of vacation," Ariadne glanced towards where Cameron was fighting against a fairly large looking Lion-shifter that seemed to be aiming to crush the vampires head in, "According to Lilith, we only get two days to relax before they start kicking our asses to test us. Other than that, we only get a two days in the middle of the break to visit with family if we have them and the day before we come back here,"

"That kind of sucks, but it makes sense," Adrian shook his head slightly, "Are you going to be working on your smithing during break?"

"Have to," Ariadne sat up with a low sigh, "I can't understand why I'm having so much trouble keeping the edges of the blades I make strong. They're getting better, but it's still somewhat frustrating,"

"I'd make a suggestion, but I'm not a weapon maker," Adrian offered her an encouraging smile, "You'll figure it out,"

Ariadne nodded as she offered him a smile in return, "Yeah, I just hope it happens sooner rather than later since it will mean that I can finally start working on my first personal weapon."

"Any idea what you're going to be making?" Adrian asked her curiously as he took out two water bottles and held one out to Ariadne.

Ariadne took the bottle and uncapped it as she said, "I'm not too sure just yet, but I do know it's going to involve gloves and wires."

Adrian took a drink from his bottle as Ariadne did the same before saying, "It sounds interesting. I look forward to seeing what the final product's going to look like."

"Same," Ariadne drank a small amount of it slowly before recapping the bottle.

It was highly likely master Feng was going to put her up against another student soon enough as they still had twenty-five minutes before class ended. Ariadne was glad the Hunter flying class was let out until the next semester. She would need the extra time plus the weekend to be rested enough for the tests. They were apparently going to be grueling and Ariadne wasn't looking forward to how exhausted she was going to be by the end of everything.

* * *

Ariadne ducked to avoid the punch heading towards her head and jumped up to avoid to low kick that would have sent her sprawling. She cast an aguamenti and tossed the vial of instant slime powder that Kara had given her a week back causing slime to spray across the ground. Ariadne quickly created some air steps and ran up them to avoid the were-panthers that had slipped on the slippery slime. They had been attempting to use the distraction their kin had created only to find themselves tripping over their own feet as the slime got under their shoes. Ariadne stuck her hands to the wall and began to climb upward in order to get to the wide beams that under the roof of the area she was in. Ariadne let out a sigh of relief as she reached that area and looked downward to find the group of six panthers attempting to find their footing. Taking a deep breath to calm her heart, Ariadne looked around herself and found a small switch in the wall next to her. Glancing down, Ariadne saw that someone was getting rid of the slime and decided not to stick around. Pushing the switch to the side, Ariadne heard a soft click and watched as a piece of the wall just about the size of her body opened up. Quickly, she slipped into the dark space just as a roar sounded from below, "Get back here you stupid English dog!"

The opening closed soon after and Ariadne created a small lumos orb as her bag shifted. Kiyo stuck her head out, "Have I mention how much I hate some of your fellow students?"

"Multiple times," Ariadne found herself at the top of a set of stairs, "Want to explore this place and see if we can find a way out of here? It's not like we've got anything better to do and those were-panthers will be out there looking for us for awhile,"

"I suppose that's a good idea, but we must be careful," Kiyo slipped out of the bag and climbed onto Ariadne's shoulders, "It is rather odd that I do not smell dust despite this area seeming to not be used by anyone,"

"It could be the magic of High Arch at work," Ariadne suggested as she started walking down the steps slowly while making sure they would support her weight before stepping on them, "This is an old school that's been around long before Hogwarts was even a whisper of an idea in the Founders' minds, it has to have gained some form of sentience if Hogwarts has,"

"True," Kiyo acknowledged as she created a second lumos ball between her ears, "Let's be careful regardless, I do not doubt that if you're right, the magic is far more wild than even Hogwarts could ever be,"

"Agreed," Ariadne reached the bottom of the steps and pulled out one of the quills she had in her bag.

She transfigured it into a staff that was about the same size as her. She began tapping the ground and walls in front of her before beginning to walk forward. First lesson any Hunter learned about exploring unknown areas was to be careful and use something to test the area around you before moving forward. Normally, she would also tap the area above her, but the ceiling seemed to be missing. Kiyo made her pause before she could take more than a few steps forward, "Jazz," Ariadne turned her head to her familiar, "We should mark the path we take just encase we get lost or something."

"Right," Ariadne reached into her bag and pulled out one of the markers she'd had Kaze get her.

Uncapping the bright neon green marker, Ariadne made an arrow pointing backwards before taking a step forward to make another one. She imbued them with her magic so as to ensure if something decided to trick her, she'd be able to tell which marks were made by her. Kiyo nodded at her actions and they started walking. The area around them was fairly cramped save for the ceiling being lost in the abyss above them, so Ariadne sealed away her wings for the time being not wanting to feel too cramped or get them too dirty. The path was fairly straightforward, but there was a slight decline that Ariadne only noticed due to the markings on the wall gradually gaining height. Ariadne noticed that there was a slight breeze coming from in front of them which meant that this place was either a way outside or led to somewhere that went outside. Ariadne kept her pace slow knowing that rushing would only take away from her ability to react if she came upon something dangerous. Kiyo spoke as she shifted onto Ariadne's head, "I can't scent out any recent scents save for what's coming towards us with that breeze which means no one's been in this place recently."

"The breeze?" Ariadne asked softly.

"Clean air and like the open sky," Kiyo sniffed carefully, "I also smell something else. I can't explain it, but it smells old,"

Ariadne frowned as she paused, "Dangerous or no?"

"Can't tell just by the scent," Kiyo replied making Ariadne's frown deepen.

"Should we head back?" Ariadne's lumos dimmed a little.

Kiyo was silent for a few moments before saying, "We've made it this far and we can always head back if something bad happens."

"Right," Ariadne's lumos brightened and she began walking again.

Ariadne readied her magic for anything as she made her way further down the corridor. As she continued walking, she noted that the area around her was getting a bit bigger, but she refrained from unsealing her wings. If she needed to make a quick escape back the way she came, she didn't need her wings slowing her down. Soon enough, the corridor leveled out and weak light began lighting up the tunnel. Ariadne slowly released her grip on the lumos as Kiyo did the same. Very soon, they reached the end of the corridor and found a rather large cavern in front of them.

The cavern had a large opening at the top that revealed the cloudless sunny blue sky. The cavern was the size of a quidditch pitch with moss and ivy covering the walls. All through out the cavern, large pillars sat scattered with many of them being in pieces. In the center of the room, the statue of what looked like a woman draped in some sort of greco-roman style dress. One of her hands were held outward, Ariadne could make out some type of ornate hunting horn that seemed familiar for some reason though she couldn't quite figure out why. The other clutched what looked like a book against her breast in a way that reminded Ariadne of Hermione when the bookworm attempting to stay calm back when they were younger. Ariadne looked at the woman's face and her mind blanked as the sound of a woman singing echoed through her ears. The song the woman sang was familiar, but Ariadne didn't understand how:

 _"Dawn of an era,  
_ _It dawns on the wings of the young.  
So young, yet so old,  
I call upon you._

 _Spirit so strong,  
Death so familiar.  
Love so confusion,  
Longing so fierce._

 _A damaged heart slowly healing,  
A soul yet still pure.  
Darkness and light blended,  
The wings of the dawn so fitting._

 _Summoner with dawn wings,  
Hunter child of wizards.  
Fighting to protect those dear,  
Blessed by the Mother._

 _Dawn of an era,  
Horn of calling.  
Dawn of an era,  
Hunter's horn."_

Ariadne stumbled back as the song ended making her head ring. Closing her eyes, Ariadne pressed a hand to the wall as Kiyo let out an alarmed growl. It took a few minutes for the ringing to die down. Ariadne slowly opened her eyes and asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," Kiyo slipped onto Ariadne's shoulder and nudged her cheek, "You alright?"

"My head hurts a bit though that's from the ringing whatever that was caused," Ariadne reached up with her left hand and ran her fingers over Kiyo's fur, "You okay?"

"I think so," Kiyo looked back towards the statue prompting Ariadne to follow her gaze, "What the fuck just happened?"

"I have no idea," Ariadne bent down to pick up the staff and marker she had dropped, "We should head back,"

Kiyo nodded while glaring at the statue, "Agreed. We need to find Lykos and tell him."

"Definitely writing a letter to Brigid," Ariadne decided as she turned around and started walking down the corridor again, "If we can't find Lykos, I guess I'll have to see if I can see Headmaster Zane,"

Kiyo nodded and returned to her position on Ariadne's head, "We're definitely coming back at some point."

"Agreed," Ariadne couldn't shake the feeling that this place was special especially after hearing that song.

* * *

Ariadne managed to find Lykos' rooms and knocked on the door well aware of the stares she was garnering from the vampire students in the area. She barely had to wait a few minutes before the door opened on it's own. Ariadne stepped through the doorway and walked into the room hearing the door shut behind her. Lykos walked into the room moments later buttoning up his black dress shirt, "Ariadne, what do I owe this little visit?"

"Some were-panthers decided to pick a fight with me," Ariadne explained as Kiyo moved off of her head to her shoulders, "I managed to get away before they managed to score a hit on me. I ended up coming across a secret passageway,"

"Take a seat," He waved a hand to one of the couches and Ariadne did as he asked while pulling Kiyo into her lap, "What happened after that?"

"We walked for a little while before coming across a cavern about the size of a quidditch pitch covered in moss and ivy," Ariadne explained as he took a seat across from her, "There was a hole in the ceiling that let in some sunlight,"

Lykos' eyebrows drew together as a house elf appeared with a goblet of blood for him, "Anything interesting about this cavern other than it being a part of the school?"

Ariadne nodded as she rubbed Kiyo's ears, "A statue sat in the middle of the room on a raised dais. The statue was of a woman dress like a greco-roman goddess I saw back in Athens when I was learning Greek," Ariadne thought of the statue, "The statue was holding a hunting horn and a book though there was something odd about it," Lykos began frowning, "The odd part was that while the statue was fairly plain, the hunting horn was rather ornate. I didn't get close enough to take a good look at it, but it still struck me as odd."

Lykos gained a contemplative look, "I doubt that you came to see me just because of the statue?"

Ariadne nodded as she remembered the song and shivered slightly, "I looked at the statue and heard a woman singing a song that was familiar for some reason."

"A song?" Lykos murmured softly, "What was the song?" Ariadne repeated the lyrics and watched as Lykos' eyes widen, "Are you sure that's the song you heard?"

"Yes," Ariadne rubbed her temples lightly, "My head's still ringing from it,"

"Is something wrong?" Kiyo asked looking at Lykos' frowning face.

Lykos' frown deepened into a grimace, "Not exactly, but it is somewhat worrying. I can't tell you what it means, but I have an idea. I need to talk with Brigid."

"And you guys will tell me what it means when you do know?" Ariadne asked earning a nod, "Good,"

Lykos offered her a small smile, "Now if you don't require anything else, I should go talk with Brigid."

"Of course," Ariadne stood up, "That'll save me a letter,"

Lykos chuckled and waved her off.

 **First chapter since Nov 9, 2017...Wow it's been almost three months...Oops? I would have put this up two days ago, but my power went out the day before yesterday and yesterday saw my internet connection being crappy. Adding on, my parents wanted me to watch my little sister. Real Life sucks some times. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


End file.
